Three Reasons To Put A Smile On Your Face

The City is cold and full of smile-less faces. As it gets closer and closer to the winter months here in the Northeast, the looks and scowls on people’s faces look more and more sad as each day goes by. Why can’t we all just smile a little more?

I’ve been traveling through NYC a lot more recently due to a recent change in lifestyle. I’ve always been the one in my group of friends to just randomly head in to the city and spend a day just doing whatever my little heart desired. Now, I’m in there often enough to notice a lot of things I’ve never seen before. One thing I found troubling is the lack of smiles.

Smiling is Contagious

People walk stone-faced down the streets of Manhattan. I’ve observed this behavior and wondered why it has to be so? A smile doesn’t hurt anybody, and if anything, it helps! I remember reading a book by Malcolm Gladwell before my freshman year of college, and in it he said that smiling is known to be contagious (in addition to this, yawning is contagious, which is why I notice a bunch of people yawn at the same time on the subway now). If smiling is contagious, wouldn’t we all just be doing ourselves a favor by spreading a little joy throughout the course of our day? It doesn’t take much, just a smile.

Smiling Burns Calories

Not only is a smile contagious, but it could help when you want to burn those extra calories. While I don’t recall the exact numbers, I do recall that a smile burns more calories than a frown does. In a health-conscious world that is obsessed with burning calories at all hours of the day, you would think that smiling would be more prevalent in our everyday interactions. But, they are not. Over the course of a year, I can see smiling being the difference in a pound or two if it is done consistently.

Smiling is Attractive

Now this is one area where I don’t need any science or readings to back me up, only personal experience. Try this little experiment with the opposite sex. Stare at a person that you find attractive, and smile at them, then find someone else that you are attracted to and stare with a frown at them. Chances are you will get a better reaction with the smile. Women will find this easier, but men should try to catch a glance from a member of the opposite sex. This is basically to show how much better a smile is in comparison to a frown.

While I can’t expect this “smile movement” to happen right away, it would be a welcome sight to see someone smiling while walking through the streets of NYC. If I were to see this, I know I wouldn’t be able to contain myself and smile back.

Let’s start something worth smiling about.

Currently Listening To:

Jason Derulo – In My Head

Spring Cleaning, Body Hair Edition

While it may not feel like it just yet in the Northeast, spring has finally arrived! It’s a whole new beginning for everyone, a fresh start if you will. It’s a time to change out the winter clothes, box them up and exchange them for the spring and summer gear that’s been hiding away in the attic. It’s a time to clean everything that you’ve been putting off. The old Spring Cleaning I believe it to be called. In addition to all this, I have my own version of Spring Cleaning this year.

Getting rid of the body hair.

For those of you who’ve been around the blog for a while, you may remember that I go into extensive detail about shaving a certain area (the ass region of course), so you know I’m a serious individual when it comes to this. But, that’s not the only area I cover in this session, I cover pretty much everything. Except for the legs, where I take care of in a different manner.

Throughout the winter, since before Thanksgiving come to think of it, I’ve dedicated myself to just letting the hair go. It had been awhile since I’ve taken this approach, I just wanted to see if I could get used to it. I’m not a huge fan of hair, but it wasn’t all that bad! I let my “sweater” grow to wherever it wanted to spread to, the same goes for the “sweat pants” I adorned. Now, I know I can “winterize” my body in the future!

Now let’s cut to the chase, I know you, the reader, are just looking for the gushy details of what occurred. Suffice to say, it wasn’t pretty. There was hair everywhere!!! Spring Cleaning needed to happen. The process of shaving everything, including trimming the leg hair, took over an hour! Very time consuming and exhausting, it nearly exhausted me and took all of my strength not to do so. Now, that was not all that was done. There is a lotioning process that accompanies this, and if there were any “mistakes” made during the shaving process, I would know what they would be at this moment.

But, it was all fine! I came away unscathed from my shaving adventure. Overall, the entire process, from start to finish, took me nearly 2 hours. A brutal amount of time, but necessary. Now, I look like a giant baby. Hair is the enemy.

Currently Listening To:

KISS – Cold Gin

A Glimpse into Spring

This paast weekend was a break form the frigid temperatures we’ve been having over this horrible winter. It’s amazing how good 50° temperatures can feel in the dead of winter. And it wasn’t just one day, it was an entire weekend that the goodness lasted!

If you can’t tell, this is one of my favorite subjects that I cover.

But, what this weekend also brought was a glimpse of what is to come. I brought this up last year, but that first warm day of spring is a joy to behold. This weekend while I was working over at the mall, it was made known that no one will miss this opportunity to shed some layers and expose some skin.

Women were wearing shorts! Damn you Polar Vortex (I hate it, but it’s the phrase of the winter, without a doubt!) for making me forget the beauty and form of the female body. Smooth skin and curves make themselves known to the entire visual landscape. What a sight to see!

But the cold has returned, snow and below freezing temperatures are back with a vengeance. Winter is powering on and making a last gasp effort to make each of us miserable and pray for the onset of spring. Basically, this past weekend was a tease. It just makes a person want spring to arrive that much faster!

I love the winter, I have a good time and enjoy the season when it’s here. But this year it has lasted just too long. As much as I love winter, I cannot wait for spring’s, and shortly thereafter summer’s, warmth. Women losing layers of clothing is a big reason why, and why shouldn’t it be?

Stop teasing me spring, you can’t come soon enough!

Currently Listening To:

Naked & Famous – Punching in a Dream

Livin’: Rent is Too Damn High!

I’ve been looking around for an apartment for roughly the last couple of months.  And what I have found is this, rent is damn high!  Especially for the places that I’m looking to live in (check “Places That Aren’t Sketchy”).  For those of you who do not know, I am currently living in Long Island and looking to make a move over to the New York City borough of Queens, particularly Astoria.  If not Astoria, there are other areas, such as Bayside, Flushing, Whitestone, Kew Gardens and perhaps College Point.  No Jamaica, Queens for this guy (sorry, I’m not sorry).  But the search, while not totally futile, is disappointing so far.

One of the goals is to find a place where utilities are all included (just so I don’t have to deal with paying other people money, less responsibility is better).  If not, the hope is to find something that has some utility included in the rent.  And if not that, then I hope the rent is low enough so that I can pay to have light (a minor inconvenience, I’m really into candles) while also being able to eat!  I’ve decided that utilities are the Devil.  Utilities are needed in order to have proper accommodations, like have air conditioning during the summer and heat in the winter.  Without these amenities, people are looked at as lepers.

Another goal is to find a place with at least a kitchenette.  While I don’t cook often, it would be nice to know that I have the option to make a meal for myself that doesn’t involve putting something either in the microwave or on a hot plate.  Throughout my searches, especially when stumbling upon some of the “cheaper” apartments, it seems as though kitchens are a rare find in the price range I’m looking.  While I do enjoy a quick, microwaved meal once in a while (and I stress “once in a while”), all the time would be a little absurd.

The final preference would be to find something on the ground floor of a building or house.  It would be as a courtesy to my neighbors since I usually workout in the morning and I tend to be a little loud (grunting, wheezing, jumping, use your imagination).  Also, it would be easier to get out the door in the morning without having to deal with stairs.  From what I understand, it is less desirable to be on the bottom floor because of noise, but that’s fine by me!  I sleep through anything!

Is that too much to ask for?  A studio or one-bedroom apartment that fits this profile would be amazing.  But, I do have some wiggle room in certain areas.  The main thing is, I have to get closer to The City.  But if I can’t, Long Island does have its benefits still.  With my parents on Long Island, it would be easier to get a home-cooked meal while living in the same county, but then again mama doesn’t cook all that often (but when she does, it’s awesome!).

But what it all comes down to is, paying for rent sucks.

Do you have any interesting move-in stories?  It’ll help me get a better idea of what I’m getting myself into!

Currently Listening To:

Fitz & The Tantrums – Out of my League

Saint Patrick’s In The City!

Éirinn go Brágh!

Beware the Ides of March, especially in New York City.  Shakespeare had it right (though I’m not certain he was talking about the Irish, but you never know!).  Perhaps one of my favorite days of the year, not only because of the drunken debauchery (and drunken women) that this day generally brings about, but also because it’s the unofficial start of spring!  No one parties like the Irish, and this is the one day where everyone can proclaim their Irish side to the world.

What is there really to say about Saint Paddy’s Day?  It’s a festival to the highest degree, and why is that?  Like I said, it’s the unofficial start of spring, people just need a reason to drink and get insane after the long dark of winter.  Since I’ve turned twenty-one, I’ve celebrated the Irish holiday every year.  One year, I spent the day in Dublin, Ireland and celebrated with the locals (and people from other European nations, so ridiculous) and played rugby in the evening.  But, in the last few years, it has become a tradition for my dad and I to go into The City to meet with a few of my dad’s friends, on their corner, to watch the parade.  It’s a fun time to watch all the old-timers marching through the streets in kilts and waving at everyone, but it’s also good to see some of the military guys (Vets of all ages) walking through and showing your appreciation for their service.  The parade is fun to attend, and bagpipes are cool to listen to, but once one o’clock hits, it’s time to celebrate our heritage.

We have our normal bar that we go to that is filled with “Funny Talkers” from across the pond.  My dad’s friends tend to leave first, probably around five o’clock, but I don’t usually last too much longer.  Last year was rough though, I died (obviously not literally, duh!) around six o’clock.  I just wanted to pass out everywhere!  I eventually settled on a Subway restaurant because my dad (yes, my dad outlasted me, he’s a pro at this) decided that I needed some food in my belly.  My He-bro (remember, everyone is Irish on this day, especially my Jewish brethren) accompanied us, but I can’t really remember too much of that evening, except that there were onions in the sandwich I was being force-fed by my dad, I was not too happy!  The goal this year is to remain conscious enough to see ten o’clock, if I can do that, I will almost certainly pat myself on the back (and hopefully not puke).

This brings me to an important point, pace yourself when drinking!  It’s amazing the amount of kids I see almost dead drunk at the parade when it is just starting (at 11 A.M.).  They burn out so fast!  This day is a marathon, not a sprint.  No need to drink on the train in the early morning hours, remember, you have around eight hours of this!  No one wants to take care of the drunk kid (I’ve been that guy, the only reason I’ve been taken care of was because I drink with my dad, and has to!).  If you are new to the Saint Paddy’s scene, make sure you have a long term view of it, no need to be sleeping at the bar, you mess!

This year the parade is happening on the 16th (Sunday is religious observation, the Irish are good at that too).  So if you are attending the parade, get up early and find a spot somewhere along Fifth Avenue.  All the bars are open, and Saturday parades are a mess, people just everywhere.  Good luck.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day everyone!  I’ll see you all out there.  If you have any good stories, let me know!

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Currently Listening To:

Rage Against The Machine – Sleep Now in the Fire