Don't just play with matches.

It’s finally Friday and after a long, stressful week at work, there’s only one thing on your mind (for now) — how refreshing the cold bev will be that you’re about to enjoy. Shortly after arriving at the bar and attaining some “liquid courage,” you’ll be on the way to scoring the perfect girl. But a guy as hot and classy as yourself obviously knows you gotta have your A-game on. As a charming, lovely woman, I can tell you that some tactics work more effectively than others in your quest for perfect-woman acquisition.

Just like your fourth-grade guidance counselor said, don’t overlook the value of believing in yourself. If you don’t believe in you, then why should I? Have some confidence, but not too much or I’ll see it as cockiness.

When you approach me, I’m most likely already turned on by your dashing good looks and killer style, so charm me with your great personality and witty sense of humor. You’re a classy guy — there’s nothing mediocre about you. Be nice. Be sweet. But most important, be genuine. Stand out from the average guys sleazing around the bar.

Here are three things all classy guys should always remember:

Dayna’s Classy Guy’s Guide to Bar Etiquette

• Being drunk: It’s the weekend and you’re at a bar. It’s totally acceptable you’re feeling the seventh gin and tonic you’ve consumed. Don’t wait until you’re one drink away from being blacked out to start chatting with me. I want to hear what you have to say before you forget your name. But then again, classy guys don’t black out, do they?
• Scoring the digits: “Give me your number so I can do you later.” I had a guy genuinely say this to me. In fact, it may have been the funniest thing anyone has ever said to me. But it’s not an effective strategy to woo your future trophy wife. Instead, tell me you want to hang out again. Get me number and offer me yours. This is the 21st century. Act like it.
• Getting digits: If it’s the end of the night and we’re totally diggin’ each other, make your move. Be a gentleman — if I want to take things slowly, give me some time. A classy guy would never judge a girl for this. If I take you up on your offer, well then gosh damn, good for you.

A bar can occasionally be an overwhelming place for guy to meet girl, but when done right, it can serve as the perfect atmosphere for you to find true love — or whatever it is you’re looking for (wink).

Dayna is a grad student residing in Chicago. She digs classy guys.

Grow your weeds in California
It’s not TV…it’s Showtime…?

It’s not time for the sweeps yet, but you should check out David Duchovny in his new role as a sex-fiend best-selling author. Duchovny’s new series Californication debuted on Showtime a few weeks ago and stars Duchovny as Hank Moody, a beleaguered author unable to write since the ex wife kicked him to the curb. In order to cope Moody decides to bag every broad in sight (poor guy), and in the end only complicates his life further. Let’s just say it’s a tale of what not to do.

Know your money
Check out Mint.com

A real man should always honor his debts and understand his financial situation. Mint is a social financial management Web app currently in beta, but while you wait, check out their blog. The site is loaded full of great articles on how to stretch and protect those duckets, like the latest article, “How to Protect Your Privacy on Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.” In the future, the company boasts offering a free, simple, and secure web application designed to help manage your greenbacks. We’ve taken a look, and the wait will be worth it.

Articles contributed by RP from Columbus, Ohio.

Sure, anybody can buy cool stuff at the local mall, but the real joy is finding a shop that offers a unique, memorable experience while catering to defining tastes. In this issue, we round up a number of stores or designers that meet the these criteria.

Living: Match Goods & A+R
From the auction house to design shop

Overlooking Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, Match offers an incredible mix of gentlemen’s goods, antiques, signed pieces and more. Looking for Sinatra’s rap sheet and mug shot when he was arrested for “seduction?” Check. How about the Bell & Ross BR 01-94 Chronograph watch, one of the most popular at the moment? Yep. What about custom-made Anarchy cigars? Get get ‘em. Every time we go to Match, we don’t want to leave. Don’t forget to check out the “Raves” section, where the owners write about what music, reads, wines and more they’re into at the moment.

Clothing: Defunker & Marc Ecko
Serving up styles that serve your taste

Defunker is what happens when you fuse high-quality American Apparel clothing and top-notch graphic designers. The product is some of the coolest-looking t-shirts that look great with jeans and a blazer or just on their own. And what’s style without a little humor? From seductive robots to mowing planes, Defunker’s got you covered.

Grooming: The Art of Shaving & Jack Black
Every classy guy’s gotta look good

The Art of Shaving harkens back to a day when shaving was, well, an art. Each store is part shaving school, part barbershop, where barbers wield straight razors and educate customers on how to soothe irritation, how to get the best shave and more. Touting a four-step process, the store not only tells you how to get the most out of your shave, but is more than willing to supply you the equipment — with some razors, for example, selling for $1,000.

There’s one thing about James Bond that gets us every time — he knows how to party just so darn classy. Here’s where you should start.

Begin the night with the Vesper Martini, a drink that far outweighs the standard vodka extra-dry-shaken-not-stirred fare. The Vesper first made its appearance in the 1953 Casino Royale novel, Ian Fleming’s first James Bond creation.

A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”

“Oui, monsieur.”

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

“Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter.

Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he explained, “I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.”

What should you expect? When drank ice cold, you’ll find some tropical sweetness from the Lillet, as well as a nice combination with the lemon twist and the gin. Further, the vodka reduces the gin’s herbal qualities.

You should want one by now. Beware, though — liquors have changed since then, so you’ll have to make some substitutes. Note that one shot equals one fluid ounce. Here’s how to make a modern version of the Vesper that recaptures its original glory:

• 3 shots gin (Use Tanqueray Gin because it’s 94-proof; Gordon’s is now watered down to 80-proof)
• 1 shot vodka (Use 100-proof Stolichnaya Vodka to regain the alcohol content of the 1950s)
• Half shot Lillet (Kina Lillet is no longer made, substitute Lillet Blanc or Lillet Blonde)
• A pinch (1/16th of a teaspoon) of quinine powder to recreate the bitter flavor of Kina Lillet
• Garnish with a lemon twist
• Serve in a cocktail glass (larger today than it was in 1953, so there’s no need for the champagne goblet)

Memorize this recipe. Start the night off with style — every night.

The Art of Drink: Vesper Martini

Get carded
Playing cards that’ll make you stand out

Anyone can find a deck of cards to deal — but with the Bicycle Vintage Series 1800, your card buddies won’t know what hit them.

How to Crash a Birthday Party
By Matt Savage

Gaining Access
“Who the hell are you?!” shouts the angry Mother Hen.

I am shocked by the girl’s pointed bitchiness despite her every reason to question my identity. Luckily, I’ve dealt with these types of women before and know that they can be easily pacified with simple affection.

“Hi. My name is Matthew and this here is my friend Nick. We’re friends with Jen who said we should come to the party” I say in a very calm collected voice, “I’m sorry what was your name again?”

“Oh, it’s Jess….umm…so, how do you guys know Jen?” She asks suspiciously, but now a little less bitchy.

“Ah yes, well, we went to school together. Yea, Jen and I go wayyy back” I say with a great big smile, “Is she here yet?”

“Yea, she is right over there” she says, pointing to someone named Jen.

I look across the room to see the girl I claim to know and give her a wave. Without hesitation she waves back. With that small bit of manipulation, the Mother Hen is satisfied and she lets us into the private birthday party.

Once inside the club’s VIP lounge, we begin our reconnaissance. There are three key rules we must first accomplish while commencing our infiltration.

3 Rules for Crashing

1. Win over the Mother Hen. The Mother Hen of any girl group is the one that is always on the defensive and feels that she has the responsibility to protect the other women in their clique. She is the major obstacle and unless you can appease her right away then you will have a very difficult time accomplishing anything. Luckily, Nick and I were able to do this immediately upon entering the party.
2. Befriend the birthday girl. This is key. As long as you get acceptance from the birthday girl then there will be no problem getting acceptance from the rest of her friends. It is HER party after all. The tactic is fairly easy; simply approach her, give her a big hug and wish her a happy birthday. It’s that simple.
3. Have lots of fun. Seriously, as long as you are having a good time and involving the rest of the party, it won’t matter who you are. Everyone will be too busy having a good time with you to even care. So get out there and start dancing, telling stories, doing magic tricks, or anything that adds value to the situation.

Pillage and Plunder
After a quick sweep of the party, Nick and I find the birthday girl and give her the most endearing happy birthday speech she’s heard all night. Despite being complete strangers, we hit it off immediately. I twirl her around and we dance. This continues for most of night as I continue to grab a new girl’s hand and twirl them. Each dance introduces me to a new girl and builds upon my social proof with the rest of the group.

At nights end, I walk away with two phone numbers and one kiss close. Not to mention a full stomach from raiding the buffet table. I couldn’t help it, the teriyaki sticks were incredible!

Matt Savage writes The Modern Savage, an excellent and hilarious blog that chronicles his journey — both successes and failures — to becoming a seduction artist.

Subscribe to The Modern Savage!

Admit an Attraction
Should you care ?

Modern advancements have lowered the barriers for meeting new friends and females…email, Facebook, MySpace, text messaging — heck, even Starbucks coffee can boost your love life (caffeine excluded).

The Pickup Artist: VH1 reality show
Mystery makes it big time?

Heads up: VH1 is airing the first episode of The Pickup Artist on August 6 at 9 p.m. The show chronicles eight socially awkward men who can’t seem to meet a woman if his life depended on it. Of course, Mystery will be front and center, dispensing advice with the goal of making these losers manly gold.

Holy cow, Batman! Women taking off their clothes while dancing on REGULAR TV? Can it be true?

Yes, it is indeed true. And you can even watch these fair maidens online! If you’re a classy guy that appreciates the curves of a woman, you should go check out Fuse TV’s “Pants-off Dance-off” competition.

What do you get? Enough pancing to keep you occupied from morning until night without venturing too far into “Bada Bing” territory.

If you get bored just watching, reward your favorite pancer by voting in contests from “who should go pro?” to “most disturbing.”

Pants-Off Dance-Off at Fuse TV

The color of money
Why the world’s favorite currency became green

Now that you’ve lost some processing power watching Jenni pance around, regain some of it by getting the low-down on green money (which you’ve saved because you didn’t venture into “Bada Bing” territory).

Keeping those greenbacks safe
A wallet as nice as the 2000 Olympic torch

Every successful man needs a wallet to match his achievements. Some even consider it to be more important than the car he drives.

What happens when you combine an early morning wakeup, dehydration (for various and sundry reasons) and a lack of caffeine?

“Tired face.”

So unless you’re donning concealer and that powdery foundation stuff (the combination of which probably means you’re a woman), your fatigue won’t disappear easily without these tips.

Men’s Flair put together a great guide to rid yourself of tired face and look like you’ve been up longer than five minutes.

The highlights: you can actually “tap out” the swelling and lightly tap under your eyes.

Or, try a cold compress like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (“In the morning if my face is a little puffy I’ll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches”) and put on a cold compress for 5-10 minutes.

Men’s Flair: How to Banish Tired Face

Face the aroma: colognes for summer and beyond
Colognes for the right occasions

If you’ve had the same cologne laying around for a few years, refresh the stock. It’s not exactly like fine wine. It doesn’t get better with age.

Before you put down two Chipotle burritos a day, know what you’re eating with Chipotle Lovers’ nutrition calc. We’re not telling you this to put a damper on the party — we love Chipotle as much as the next guy — but knowledge is always power.

Speaking of knowledge, learn how to prepare any kind of meat the way Chipotle does.

Chipotle Lovers was built by Todd, also of Fafarazzi fame.

Chipotle Lovers Calculator

Be a better man: learn how to build something
“You’re right, no human being would stack books like that”

Part of being a classy guy means knowing how to build something with your bare hands when the time comes.

The key to throwing a good bachelor party is having a plan B…and C, and D — and a little creativity.

First, make sure the groom stands out. In the words of Neil Strauss, “peacock” him. Ideas: give him a cheetah-print pimp coat or an actual ball-and-chain to wear. Then make fun of him incessantly.

Second, make sure he staggers the drinks. It’s no fun if he passes out early on in the night. It’s even less fun having to carry the groom home. But make sure that you get women to buy him drinks. Lots of women.

Third, have a backup plan for transportation if you can’t walk. Under no circumstances should anyone in the party drive — we recommend getting a limo, then having taxis as a backup.

Fourth, don’t sweat the small stuff. Roll with it. It’s not going to be fun if you have a rigid schedule in mind.

Groomsmen, assemmbblllleeeee!

For more bachelor party goodness, Grooms Online fills in the gaps.

Ideas contributed by BMM from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Which flat screen should you buy?
We love technology

Flat screens are sexy and there’s no denying it. They’re sleek, deliver your weekly dose of Entourage in crispy 16:9 goodness and generally attract females who want to see Adrian Grenier up close and personal.

The Ten Commandments. The Golden Rule. The Prime Directive.

There are always lists, guiding principles and ideals for conducting oneself — in life, in relationships and even in space. So in that spirit, here’s Fuego’s list of five things every man shouldn’t be without:

Five real man essentials:

1. One expensive pen: From the board room to signing personal checks, you can’t be caught with the Bics. An expensive, nice pen communicates style, good taste and makes you stand out. Recommended brands: Waterman, Mont Blanc, Cross.
2. Shiny shoes: Key for first impressions. For some reason, 99% of human beings look at the floor after meeting someone new. Make sure they see their reflection in your shoes. Click here for a resource we like.
3. A quality timepiece: A good watch complements suits, blazers and jeans — communicating prestige, style and everything else. Make it stainless steel, too. We recommend Movado, Rolex, Omega and certain Fossil models.
4. A good lighter: This one might be a little outdated, but even if you don’t smoke it can be a survival tool — both in the clubs and in the wild. One can never go wrong with a Zippo.
5. Fitted shirts: Is your nickname ‘billows?’ Even if you don’t have Daniel Craig’s frame, ditch the shirts resembling Glad trash bags and, at the very least, get some ’sport fit’ button-downs.

Classic beauty never dies: Audrey Hepburn gallery
…neither do beautiful pictures…

One can’t argue with classic beauty. Here’s a taste of Audrey in her hey-days — meaning her entire life.

The gallery spans from the 1950s to the 1990s and shows both on-set, staged and impromptu stills.

The Audrey Hepburn Gallery

The three-day rule is obsolete
Undoing an old pickup tactic

Every woman is now aware of the three-day rule and expects every average chump to play coy and not call her for “at least” three days.

It’s Friday, you finish work late and you’re in a hurry. Your friend’s having a dinner party and you said you’d bring the wine. The stakes are high because the workplace hottie will be there, too.

What’s a classy guy to do? Pick a wine with a cool label at a lame convenience store?

The answer is no. You can do better. You’re a classy guy.

Building up a personal repertoire of wine is essential for countless reasons – evolving your personal taste, general knowledge – but mostly for sharing wine with your friends.

I recommend building a personal list of a few wines that you like and want to share with your friends. Part of doing this is knowing where to buy wine on the fly – or you could even stockpile a case of it. Either way, never let the answer to “why’d you pick this one?” be “the dude at the gas station recommended it.”

And when you share it with friends (especially the ladies), they learn something too – both about you and the wine. So pick something you like. Make it personal.

I’ll give you a few value wines to get you going, but promise me you’ll also start some of your own hunting – alright?

You can begin a trusting relationship with your wine store as soon as they recommend to you one that you end up liking. Then go back and give some feedback so that same person can recommend something more attuned to your tastes.

That method is exactly how I found these at The Anderson’s General Store. They publish wine notes and have email alerts. Their wine department is fully loaded, not just with great wines, but also wine experts. They taste what they buy, and when they find a great small batch or closeout, they buy it all. A truly great wine operation.

The recommendations

Start exploring lesser known South American mega-value wines, which you can find here. I highly recommend Veramonte vineyard wines from Chile, too.

The Cabernet in particular works for so many foods it’s a major hit for under $10. It alone proves that South America rocks for value. For about double the price, Primus comes from the same vineyard with the same value status.

You can really help people enjoy their wine by doing your homework in advance. Your friends (especially your female friends) will enjoy hearing why you picked the wine and toast your role in a great evening. So make it happen.

Expert opinion contributed by JH, an entrepreneur, educator and wine aficionado from Ohio.

Mojito: the ultimate summer drink
Cubans gave the world more than cigars

Bond’s had one in Die Another Day (even though Brosnan was a little girly) and so has Sonny from Miami Vice. It’s the mojito, and it’s probably the most refreshing summer drink out there.

Before you get the simple and amazing drink recipe, here’s a quick background on mojitos:

• Has been compared to the American mint julep, but a Cuban version
• Was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway
• Said to have originated when Francis Drake tried to sack Havana in the 1500s
• Used to be made for medicinal purposes

And now, the recipe:

• 3 fresh mint sprigs
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 oz light rum
• Chilled club soda

In a tall thin glass (preferably a highball), crush part of the mint with a fork (or wooden dowel) to coat the inside. Add the sugar and lime juice and stir thoroughly. Top with ice. Add rum and mix. Top off with chilled club soda (or seltzer). Add a lime slice and the remaining mint, and serve.

Cigars. Every classy guy should at least know how to pick, smoke and identify one. This week we’ve got a useful and fun compact guide of (almost) everything cigar to appeal to both connoisseur and novice. Bonus: download Fuego’s compact cigar reference card to help you ID cigar shapes, color grades and top brands in the field. Slip it in your wallet for best results.

Every cigar is the result of three elements: body, size and rating.

The body is how strong the cigar is. From “take-your-head-off” extreme to full, medium and mild, pick something that tastes good but isn’t overwhelming. A full-bodied cigar could be considered by some to be strong but not necessarily flavorful — while the opposite could be true. It all depends on taste. But we hear “experienced” cigar smokers prefer full-bodied and flavorful smokes.

As for length, a cigar is always measured in inches and the most common is the 5.5-inch corona. See Fuego’s reference card for all of them. Diameter is measured by “ring,” which is 1/60th of an inch. So that same corona is measured as 5.5 x 42, or 42/60ths of an inch in diameter.

You can find cigar ratings in Cigar Aficionado, where obviously a higher score means a “better” cigar out of 100 points. In the end, a better cigar balances its aromas and flavors to give the smoker the most desirable taste.

A good place to start is Cigar Dave’s Cigar Draft — you’ll find 20 great cigars there.

Get smoking
So now it’s time to light up

There’s a reason why cigar lounges always give you wooden matches — it won’t taint the flavor. Stay away from gas lighters and paper matches for this reason. And you can take the label off once you’ve started smoking.

We’ll smoke a cigar ½ to ¾ of the way – after you’re ¾ of the way through the stick, the flavor starts to change.

There’s more to learn – you should check out this rundown on the parts of a cigar (wrapper, binders, filler) and Cigar Aficionado’s FAQ page.

That’s it. Now get yourself a smoke. And don’t forget to download Fuego’s wallet card for in-the-field intel.

We hear diets can be really painful.

But Tim Ferriss, the Four-Hour Workweek guy (which is a great book, by the way), has some Fuego-caliber rules for cutting fat, eating well and increasing muscle.

The Four Rules:

Rule 1: Avoid “white” carbs

• White bread
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Pasta
• Fried food with breading

Rule 2: Eat the same meals over and over again from these groups:

Proteins:

• Egg whites + a whole egg for flavor
• Chicken
• Grass-fed beef
• Pork

Legumes:

• Lentils
• Black beans
• Pinto beans

Vegetables:

• Spinach
• Asparagus
• Peas

Rule 3: Don’t drink calories (update: read our previous issue on low-cal beers)

Rule 4: Take a “vacation” one day per week (Ferriss calls this “Dieters Gone Wild” Day — a Saturday holiday)

Get your stupid face out of bed earlier
In other words, how to get out of bed when your alarm goes off

Steve Pavlina says getting up when your alarm goes off is all about repetition.

1. Reproduce your nightly sleep routine — whatever you do before you go to bed, do this with your room as dark as it gets.
2. Set your alarm for a few minutes ahead and zone out the best you can. You’re faking going to sleep, but don’t think about faking it.
3. When the alarm goes off, turn it off as fast as you can, then take a deep breath and stretch out all your limbs. Then do the next thing you’d do if you were waking up.
4. Perform this procedure over a period of days, just like reps at the gym. Pavlina recommends “one or two sets per day at different times…and perhaps 3-10 reps each time.”
5. Make this a daily habit and a pattern. That way you’ll stop beating yourself up for waking up late, and it won’t be just willpower getting you out of bed every morning.

A quick estimate: if you oversleep 30-60 minutes a day, you’re missing out on 180 to 365 hours a year — nine 40-hour weeks!

Miller Lite’s man laws. The manly Texas Double Whopper. Daniel Craig as James Bond.

Part of society is realizing (again) that men can’t be tamed and shouldn’t apologize for what makes a man…a man.

As Johnny Diaz of the Boston Globe wrote, we’re witnessing a “menaissance,” which consists of the following rules when dealing with women:

1. Don’t be intimidated
2. Rejection of sexual blackmail
3. Keep your wallet closed
4. Assert yourself
5. Don’t be a dick
6. Don’t apologize for being a man
7. Expect respect

Nobody likes an AMOG
Get rid of toolish “cockblockers”

Sometimes he’s a jock. Other times he’s the best-dressed guy in the room. Or perhaps just the biggest.

In every situation, he’s got one thing in common — he’s the jackass that attempts to get between you, a lady friend, or even a girlfriend.

He thinks he’s funny, but he’s not. He thinks he’s the “alpha male of the group” — an AMOG.

Here are some methods to shut him down, shut him up and go home with the girl. Or just shut him up.

1. Act polite while disinterested to him but charming to the crowd around you. This lowers his perceived value and causes him to qualify himself to increase lost value.
2. Two words carry endless value: “Cool, man.” Say this and then turn your attention away from him. He won’t know how to react.
3. Don’t jump through hoops — take any challenge and reverse it back on him.

Remember when enterprising elementary school teachers would teach you lame acronyms to help you learn long lists — which ended up only being useful in Trivial Pursuit tournaments? Those days are long over, but we actually found something worth committing to your memory banks.

It’s called the “power foods” acronym, a collection of 12 foods meant to power up your eating for your active or sloth-like lifestyle. Eat at least six of them a day and you’ll not only get healthier, but they’ll power up your workouts and give you more energy. Now THAT packs a punch.

Meet ABSDIETPOWER:

1. Almonds (or other nuts)
2. Beans (or other legumes)
3. Spinach
4. Dairy
5. Instant oatmeal
6. Eggs
7. Turkey (or other lean meats)
8. Peanut butter
9. Olive oil
10. Whole grains
11. Extra-protein powder (whey)
12. Raspberries (or other berries)

As seen in Men’s Health 2007 issues.

Bonus: “Control Your Cravings” with this daily meal plan and watch your calories plummet to pygmy proportions.

Power up your happy hours
Arm yourself with this little-known beer knowledge

When you go out and live it large with your coworkers, you need not forget that you can power up even with your tasty brews.

Fuego has gone on the hunt and found the five healthiest and the five meatiest beers — so while you’re powering up, you’ll still be able to keep that two-pack you spent years cultivating.

We judge the following beers by calories and carbs.

1. Amstel Light (99 calories, 5 carbs)
2. Yuengling Light (98 calories, 7 carbs)
3. Stella Artois (140 calories, 13 carbs)
4. Beck’s Dark (146 calories, 11 carbs)
5. St. Pauli Girl (148 calories, 10 carbs)

The Top Five Meatiest

1. Anchor Porter (209 calories, 23 carbs)
2. Sierra Nevada Stout (210 calories, 19 carbs)
3. Sam Adams Cream Stout (194 calories, 24 carbs)
4. Red Hook IPA (188 calories, 13 carbs)
5. Michelob Honey Lager (175 calories, 18 carbs)

Bonus: Curious about how your favorite brew fares? Get the nutritional lowdown here.

Power up your tools
Everybody likes some good hardware

Nobody uses a hammer to actually hammer anymore. These days they’re mostly used to claw drywall or take out cockroaches. So here we found something that allows you to break stuff without losing your sense of style.

A beautiful woman. A potential sales lead. A possible business partner.

Ease the occasional difficulty of bringing new people into your life by eliminating “approach anxiety.” Relationship expert and consultant Jonathon Hudson says it’s just a matter of exuding the right vibe.

Hudson says to “think about a person in your life who makes you smile” before opening a conversation. By exuding the happiness you feel about them, you’ll find that starting new conversations will become easier.

Need some more comfort? The “person you’re approaching is as nervous about bringing a new person into your life as you are.” Lead the interaction, and it’s your job to start things off on the right foot — with a “happy vibe and energy.”

What’s the difference between Sunni and Shia?
What everyone’s been talking about all this time

You probably hear about this every day, but you’ve never taken the time to answer this question — what’s the difference between the Sunni and the Shia?

Sunni and Shia are the two dominant sects of Islam. It matters because their differences can be tied to years of violence, which stem from a disagreement over who should lead Islam after Muhammad’s death.

Memorize this and maybe you won’t pull a “Reyes” when you’re asked the question.

Tuck in your shirt…the right way
Do this, and don’t look fat

For best results, start with a fitted or tapered dress shirt — it’ll eliminate the excess fabric that builds up around your waist.

Copy this from Hillary Clinton’s thesis
“Power is not only what you have, but what your enemy thinks you have.”

We don’t get political here at Fuego, but one of Hillary Clinton’s inspirations, Saul Alinsky, has a list of power tactics that read like a modern day Sun Tzu.