- Maureen Meekins

BUY HIM A DRINK

Order up a cold drink for that hot guy you’ve got your eye on—not only are you making the first move but he’ll appreciate that you’re twisting the whole guy-always-buys-the-drinks routine around. Plus, there’s no way he’d turn down a free drink, plus liquoring up a little will make you both a bit more relaxed and open. While you wait for the bartender to pour out brews for you both, you can fill the time by sparking up a convo with your new drinking buddy (and maybe potential boyfriend?!). But remember, second drink is on him!

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-Christina Izzo

PRO: Easy access. Think of it this way—if I need a machete to navigate my way through his man jungle, that’s an issue that needs to be taken care of pronto!
CON: On the flip side, it’s nice to leave some room for the imagination. Too much hair removed and his wobbly bits will start to look like the parts that come inside a turkey on Thanksgiving.

PRO: Men will finally realize that we’re not being overly dramatic when we say it’s like they’re ripping out a piece of our souls with every wax strip. Once they feel the searing hot wax and excruciating rip of hair, they will definitely get it.
CON: Now we’ll only have periods and childbirth left to use against them in battle-of-the-sexes arguments.

PRO: Brazilians make your boy’s boys look bigger. With a little extra, er, cockiness, your man will be feeling super confident in the sack, which will definitely be to your benefit!
CON: You know that whole spiel that “objects in this mirror are much closer than they appear”? Well in the brozilian’s case, it’s the opposite—let’s just say there’s a big difference between a show-er and a grower.

PRO: If men expect us ladies to get Brazilians, should we not expect the same in return?
CON: What’s next—pe-jazzling?!

Image credit: screened.com

Girl Talk Time: What do you think about this below-the-belt treatment for guys? Would you rather him bare down there or with a little underbrush to decorate the tree? How do you feel about brozilians: yay or nay?

-Christina Izzo

Ben Affleck & Matt Damon

Matt & Ben are the ultimate bromance—these Boston boys have been besties since childhood and broke out big in Hollywood together after co-writing the screenplay for 1997′s Good Will Hunting, which nabbed both an Oscar. Minnie Driver, Gwyneth Paltrow and J. Lo may have come and gone, but these two have stayed together through it all, through marriage, babies, viral videos and even Gigli—hell, if they can get through that, they can get through anything!

Image credit: zap2it.com

-Jinee Son

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Step One: Decide if you want to be friends with your ex.

Everyone’s different. Lots of people don’t have the desire to talk to their exes again and that’s ok. To each their own. But you have to realize what you want and even more so if you’re one of those people who wants nothing to do with a past flame. Think hard and deep, remember the good and the bad times, and decide if it’s really worth it to be friends with him again.

Step Two: Give yourself time.

It’s true that time heals all wounds, whether a scraped knee or a broken heart. It could take months, hell, even years to get over a break-up. Don’t rush it. When you find that you’ve really moved on from the relationship, then it’s time to contact him again.

Step Three: First post-break-up encounter.

Reach out to him in whatever way you feel comfortable. Whether that’s a text, email or a phone call, be kind and ask him how he is. Explain that you wish to meet with him to gradually build  a friendship, but totally understand if that isn’t what he wants. You might face no reply or an uncomfortable response saying he doesn’t feel the same way you do but hey, you took the time to speak to him as the bigger person and that takes a lot of courage and maturity.

Step four: Don’t act like their girlfriend anymore.

It can be easy to fall back into the habit of being his girlfriend, but you shouldn’t. That either says you aren’t over him yet or you really can’t just be friends. I admit it hurt a little when I saw my ex-boyfriends with their new girlfriends, but I realized things ended romantically for a reason and then it didn’t hurt so much. If you can’t hang out with him without feeling pangs of jealousy or anger when he talks to another girl, tell him you’re sorry, you’re not ready to be friends. It might seem fickle but you’re human! When you reach the level of true friendship, nothing he says will turn you into a crazed jealous ex-girlfriend and that, my friend, is a beautiful thing!

Girl Talk Time: Do you think you could be friends with a former flame? Would you want to? What do you think about these relationship tips?

“I’m going home for the holidays and I HAVE to see my ex-boyfriend (we have mutual friends). We have unfinished business and broke up less than a year ago, so I’m afraid of saying or doing something stupid (…like hooking up with him!).

I know, I know. The easy answer here is ‘Don’t drink,’ but let’s be real. I’m going to enjoy myself and have a couple of cocktails. How do I keep myself from making a dumb mistake?!”

ANSWERS:

Mr. Loverboy Rocker SEE BIO NOW>

If anything, this seems like a perfect opportunity to have some fun over the holidays, then leave and get back to your life away from home as if nothing happened.

But, if not sleeping or hooking up with him is the best thing for your well-being, then be sure of it! Don’t go home thinking that you might make a mistake, and don’t be nervous about how you’ll react to seeing him.

Your question itself is pretty much announcing your inner-thoughts, ”Well, if I get drunk, then I might want to hook up with him.” If you don’t want to be with him, then don’t! It’s easy, even if you’re drunk. Just click that switch in your head and enlist help from your friends.

Also, don’t flirt, don’t hang out with him alone, don’t give him the eye and don’t lead him on. And, think of all the sexier men you have waiting for you once you leave! Be open and honest with him, don’t give him false impressions and be confident with your decision.

Mr. Noncommittal SEE BIO NOW>

Obviously if you make that dumb mistake, you want to make it. Don’t deny yourself a good time. Just make sure you know that it is what it is—think of it as a one-night stand with someone you’re familiar with. We all need sex, especially around holiday time. It’s the best way to work off those calories from holiday meals.

Mr. Young and in Love SEE BIO NOW>

Why would it be dumb? At the end of the day you don’t live there anymore, so if you have a bit of Xmas fun would it really be that bad? I’m sure that none of your friends would care—it’s perfectly natural to fall back to someone that you have a history with.

Mr. Loves Boys Too SEE BIO NOW>

It certainly sounds like there is still a lot of interest on both of your parts if 1) You are willing to spend time in the same room as each other and 2) You are thinking that you’ll end up sleeping together. Have you hooked up with him before after a chance meeting or visit home? Are you at a point in your post-relationship where a one-night stand is just a fling? If so, maybe a holiday hook-up isn’t such a bad idea.

But if you really don’t have any interest in hooking up, take a few simple prevention steps 1) Don’t spend time alone with him—make sure there are always other friends in the vicinity. 2) Recruit a girlfriend. Tell her to be your advocate to make sure that you don’t end up knocking boots in his bed. 3) Start a conversation with him before your second drink and tell him that you are not interested no matter what the alcohol says. 4) Take a friend with benefits along or rent a date! Good luck keeping the “Ho, Ho, Ho” out of the “HO”lidays!

GIRL TALK TIME: What do you think? Have you ever made a mistake with an ex around the holidays? What happened? What would you do in this situation?

What question do you have for our men? Comment with your question below and they could answer YOUR issue next time around. PLUS, you’re earning 2 OMG Points every time you comment.

Want to keep your question confidential? Submit it via this form:

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There’s something about being home for the holidays that is kind of like taking mind-altering drugs. You stuff yourself without about 10,000 calories worth of turkey, but are still hungry enough to sneak thirds from the fridge for a midnight snack. Or, perhaps you find yourself playing pirates in a game with your baby cousin…and being way too in it.

And then, there are holiday hook-ups. Be it an ex-boyfriend that you (cough, tequila!) decided to rekindle, er, sleep with, or a random from your high school who you drunkenly played tonsil hockey with, things can get WEIRD. Here’s one Staffer’s Thanksgiving Eve awkwardness. Share yours.

“I’d been away from my hometown for a long while, so when I got back into town on Thanksgiving Eve I hit a local bar with my friend. We saw a ton of guys we’d gone to high school with who we hadn’t seen in years, and after a few too many shots/Long Island Iced Teas I struck up a convo with a guy I’d sort of known in h.s.

In high school, I knew that he’d gone out with this one girl and I thought they were still together, so I asked him about 1000 times about her. He denied they were still an item, so I continued my flirting. Our convo eventually lead to him walking me home…which of course, equaled us making out for a little bit. We never exchanged numbers and I didn’t think much of it even though my friends really teased me about it.

A few months later, I was back home again and getting some late-night food from the local diner, when I was approached by a girl I’d gone to high school with—the same girl that the kid I’d exchanged spit with had dated back in the day. Apparently, these two high-school sweethearts had been going out when I’d made out with the guy and she was really upset about it, which she made known by screaming at me for RUINING HER RELATIONSHIP while I was trying to enjoy my hash browns. I told her to blame the guy because he’d denied that they were dating on several occasions. Eventually one of her friends had to take her (still screaming) out of the diner. Awkward.

Moral of the story? While hooking up with someone from your hometown can be funny or something like that, if you’ve left Dodge there’s probably a good reason for it. Sometimes high-school drama just stays high-school drama no matter how many years have passed since you’ve thrown your cap. Case in point: People like the guy I made out with and his ‘girlfriend’!”

GIRL TALK TIME: Have you ever had an awkward holiday hook-up? What happened? Share now (your secret’s safe with us)!

Look at Prince William and Kate. What makes a guy go back a second time and, in their case, even get married?

ANSWERS:

Mr. Noncommittal SEE BIO NOW>

The sex…. If the sex was good, it’s hard to stay away. Sometimes after a bit of time away you realize that you had a little more in common than good sex, too. But sometimes you realize all you had was…good sex.

So, Kate and William are the exception, not the rule. But remember, everyone loves a sequel !

Mr. Young and in Love SEE BIO NOW>

It’s always tough to speculate on what’s going on in other people’s lives, particularly public lives where you’re not actually seeing their “life,” you’re seeing what a specialist team of image-control people want their clients’ “lives” to be perceived as.

But I’d imagine it’s just a case of wanting different things at different times in their lives. It’s not the 1920s anymore, and people don’t get married when they’re 20. But if you’re 20 and happen to meet the perfect girl that you WOULD want to marry later down the track, what’s a young lad to do? You probably want to marry her SOMEDAY, but at the same time you still want to have a bit of fun while you’re young.

So, you do what the Prince did—have a bit of fun, then go back to the one you want to marry later on. And it’s not just a guy thing. I know plenty of girls who have gone back to “the one” once they were ready to get married.

Mr. Loves Boys Too SEE BIO NOW>

Well, a great body doesn’t hurt! There are a couple of reasons to go back and even make a larger commitment. First, there is the “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” case. Maybe some time apart is just what was needed to appreciate what was there. Maybe taking a look around and test driving a few other vehicles makes guys realize just what they had.

Second, there is the pressure-from-above case. Perhaps someone like your grandmother, who just happens to be the queen, calls you up and says something like, “If you ever want the throne, marry this girl!”

Finally, there is the “I wonder what THAT person is doing and, why did I ever leave them anyway?!” case.  This happens a lot when the timing just isn’t quite right for a long-term commitment. Then, your planets align and you call someone up and ask them, “Hey, what are you doing?” Whatever the reason…as long as it works, go for it!

Mr. Loverboy Rocker SEE BIO NOW>

To go back to someone often requires digging back into the past, and into emotions you’ve already moved on from. It can be dangerous. The question becomes: Why did you break up with the person in the first place? I don’t believe people’s personalities change much. If you’re hoping for yourself or the other to change, then you may be asking for too much.

But, if the relationship couldn’t continue for other circumstantial reasons, such as one leaving for college or distance, then there is no reason not to try again. Really it comes down to the gut instinct for me. There are girls I’ve split apart from due to distance, jobs, school, etc., who I wonder about all the time. Our personalities meshed well, and we would have never broken up if our lives weren’t torn in different directions. If I found myself single again and one of these women crossed my life’s path, I would not hesitate to go for round two.

GIRL TALK TIME: What do you think? Have you ever gone for round two with an ex? Did it work?

What question do you have for our men? Comment with your question below and they could answer YOUR issue next time around. PLUS, you’re earning 2 OMG Points every time you comment.

Want to keep your question confidential? Submit it via this form:

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“Guys: What’s the most crazy-stupid excuse you’ve ever used to break up with someone?

(And why did you use it?!)”

ANSWERS:

Mr. Young and in Love SEE BIO NOW>

Umm, from what I read on Sheckys.com, it’s you ladies that use the crazy-stupid excuses to break up with us! Unfortunately (although I guess fortunately, really), you can count the amount of break-ups I’ve had on two fingers.

Both times it wasn’t a full-stop dead-end break-up like you see on TV (does life ever work like that?), it was just clear that we were drifting apart, so we mutually decided to end it.

Mr. Loves Boys Too SEE BIO NOW>

It’s not you, it’s me. I know it’s the classic line. It’s stupid because we all know that it is YOU and not ME, and it’s stupid because we actually think that the other person believes it.

But it’s the best excuse to use when pretty much everything is not working. Usually relationships evolve over time and we end up forgiving many of the other person’s shortcomings. But, when you are faced with all the shortcomings at once, it makes it really hard to come up with a specific excuse to break up. I mean, you start dating a normal, somewhat attractive person and in three months, they have gained 20 pounds, stopped using deodorant, will only have sex during a full moon and eat boiled rabbit for dinner.

Okay, maybe you can say that you are really upset that they boiled the rabbit for dinner…but you can avoid the whole conversation about how good fluffy tasted and how excited you are about the new matching rabbit’s foot keychains by simply saying, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

Mr. Loverboy Rocker SEE BIO NOW>

I’ve definitely utilized the, “I need some time to focus my energies on myself,” or the, “I love you but this just isn’t the right time in my life,” but nothing compares to breaking up with my first girlfriend in sixth grade 24 hours into our relationship. I believe our first makeout session was charmingly called Seven Minutes in Heaven, and it solidified our “dating” status.

It all started after willfully “French Kissing” out of turn in a game of spin the bottle. I really liked her, but I couldn’t bear the kids at recess making fun of me for kissing a monkey. Apparently she had really hairy arms. By high school, she had waxed her arms and was one of the sexy cheerleaders. I screwed that up.

Mr. Noncommittal SEE BIO NOW>

I’m too lazy to make excuses, so I’m all for the “fade out” method. I simply disappear from the unwanted woman’s life. I don’t answer her texts or calls. I block her on Facebook. If she’s a really crazy psycho, I completely change my routine. I might even walk to the Starbucks that’s five minutes, not one minute, from my office to avoid possibly seeing her there in stupid-big sunglasses, waiting to confront me

Why? The truth is sometimes I don’t have a good enough excuse. I’m just bored of her and don’t feel like having the whole “it’s not working out” talk and then have her try to save it or have us go on a “break” where I try to get with other women and she cries about it.

GIRL TALK TIME: What do you think? What’s the worst excuse you’ve ever given to get out of a relationship? What’s the stupidest way a guy has ever called it quits with you?

What question do you have for our men? Comment with your question below and they could answer YOUR issue next time around. PLUS, you’re earning 2 OMG Points every time you comment.

Want to keep your question confidential? Submit it via this form:

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What is the ultimate sign that a relationship is doomed?

A. When you start talking about your problems in public…when you start airing your dirty laundry and people can smell it, you will clear a room out.

GIRL TALK TIME: What do you think of these Q&As? What question about guys really baffles you? Share your feedback for OMG Points, and stay tuned for more of Steve Ward’s advice coming up on Sheckys.com!

Pick-up: “How much does a penguin weigh? Enough to break the ice! Hi, I’m…”

Rating: Cheesy

Comeback: “If you’re asking me out on a date to the zoo, I think I’m allergic to a new species: GUYS.”

Pick-up: “You, me, an 8-ball and a bottle of Grey Goose. How does that sound?”

Rating: Sleazy

Comeback: “Funny you should ask! My 8-ball says, ‘See you never.’”

Pick-up: A guy asked me if I know how to work a BlackBerry. So I said, “Sure, I’ll help you.” He goes, “I can’t understand how to get that number (points to my phone) into this phone (points to his own).”

Rating: Clever

Comeback: If he’s cute, give him your number!

Pick-up: “Smile baby, life’s not that bad.”

Rating: …Weird

Comeback: Put on your craziest smile, and go on your merry way. We don’t think he wants to date an insane person.

Pick-up: “Call me girl, I’m in the yellowpages—under handsome.”

Rating: Cheesy

Comeback: “Funny, I’m under not available.”

-Cait Rohan

GIRL TALK TIME: What’s the WORST pick-up line you’ve ever heard/had used on you? What do you think of ours?