It’s every man’s nightmare…your woman wants to go to the mall and she wants to take you with her.  Your heart starts to pound in your chest, your palms start to sweat and you feel as if your head is spinning.  What can you do?  If you refuse to go with her, you will be sleeping on the couch for the next week.  On the other hand, if you do go with her and you say or do the wrong thing, you may end up on the couch anyway.  So, how can you survive a trip to the mall without getting yourself in trouble and without driving yourself insane with boredom?  By following these 5 steps to surviving the mall, you may actually find yourself enjoying a trip to the mall - and you may even get a little action out of it when all is said and done.

Step #1:  Make Agreeing Simple

In order to make your experience as positive as possible, don’t allow her to see the disgust on your face when she invites you along to the mall.  If she catches even a hint that you don’t want to go or that you find going to the mall to be a chore, you will instantly be in the doghouse.  So, when the invite comes out of her mouth, smile and tell her that you would love to spend the afternoon with her by shopping at the mall.  Let’s face it, you have told bigger lies in the past so you could get a woman in the sack, so this one shouldn’t be too hard to pull off.

Step #2:  Scope it Out

If you aren’t familiar with the mall, you will need to perform a basic recon of the layout once you arrive.  Most malls have a “You are Here” map that will tell you where you currently are and where all of the stores are located throughout the mall.  Make a mental note of where the stores you are interested in are located while you “help” her find the stores she wants to go to.

Step #3:  Walk Her to Her Stores

If she doesn’t know where her favorite stores are located, do the gentlemanly thing and help her find the stores.  Even if she does know where they are at, walk her to the store and let her tell you all about the latest fashion trends and the style of clothing she is hoping to find at the store.  Don’t worry, you aren’t expected to actually know anything about these clothes or brands.  Just nod your head and smile while making it look as if you are actually interested.

Step #4:  Make the Break

Making the break is the second most critical step in the 5-step plan.  Once you get her to the store she is interested in, tell her that you want to give her some time to look through the clothes on her own.  Therefore, you are going to go spend some time at the electronics store or whatever other store is of interest to you.

To make the break smoothly, you need to be certain to lay it on thick.  Tell her you want her to find something special for you that she can share with you later, so you don’t want to ruin the surprise by watching her try on various outfits.  You might even want to promise to take her out to a nice dinner after she finds the “perfect outfit.” This way, she won’t think that you are trying to get out of shopping with her, but that you find her to be so irresistibly sexy that you want her to buy something special just for you.

Now, refer back to Step #2 and locate a nearby store that you are interested in going to.  The closer your store is to her store, the easier it will be for you to hook back up when she is done shopping.  If she has to walk all the way across the mall to find you, she might get lost or simply get pissed at you for going so far away.  If your store is just across the hall or just a few doors down, on the other hand, completing the break away will be much easier.

Step #5:  Close the Deal

After she has finally purchased her new items, make sure to ask her to try the clothes on for you once you get home.  This may not sound like a whole lot of fun for you, but watching her try on 5 new outfits that she just purchased is far better than watching her try on hundreds of outfits at the mall.  Besides, while she’s taking off one outfit in order to try on another, you might be able to take advantage of that nudity in order to get a little action.

It is important to note that you may have to repeat steps 3 and 4 several times during one mall trip, as she will probably have more than one store that she wants to visit.  So, when doing your recon, find as many stores as possible that you might want to go to.  You should also scope out where the food court is located or where other snack vendors can be found throughout the mall.  That way, if there are no stores nearby for you to go to, you can at least grab something to eat and you sit outside her store while you wait.  More than likely, you will find plenty of other guys out there who are suffering the same fate as  you.

Does the state of the economy have you feeling a bit down?  If so, you aren’t the only one.  Thousands of people have lost their jobs around the country and countless people have lost their homes.  Despite the world’s current economic troubles, however, it is possible for you to come out of it smelling like a rose if you play your cards right.  Here are a few things you might want to consider doing while the economy is on a downswing.

Head Back to School

If you are one of the guys who lost his job because of the economy, stop sitting around on your couch and feeling sorry for yourself.  Chances are pretty good that you aren’t going to find another job to replace the one you lost, so now might be the perfect time for you to head back to school.  Think about it.  You can either stay at home and cry about having no money, or you can use your time to head back to school and get a college degree or extra certification in your field. This might even be the perfect time for you to switch gears and pursue a new career path.  That way, when employment opportunities start opening up again, you will have something extra to help you stand out from the other guys.

Start Your Own Business

Now is a good time to start laying the groundwork for a new business.  To do it right, it is going to take you a few months to come up with a business plan and to study your target market.  By the time you are ready to launch your business, the economy should be on its way toward recovery.  Who knows?  If you do a good job researching business ideas and developing a plan, you may never have to head back to work for someone else again.

Make Some Investments

During these difficult economic times, many people are pulling their money out of their 401k portfolios and other investments.  That’s a mistake.  Now is the time to make some smart investments.  Think about it.  Stocks are cheap right now, which means you can pick up solid stock investments for cheap.  Once the economy rebounds, you can easily double or triple your investment.  Just make certain to invest in companies that are almost guaranteed to make it through the economic downswing.  While there are no guarantees, investing in companies that provide necessities such as food or toiletries are often good companies to invest in.

Buy a House

If you have a good credit rating, there is no better time than now to buy a house.  Although some housing markets are still going strong, most of them are struggling.  As a result, sellers are slashing the prices on their homes significantly.  Not only that, people who are struggling with making their house payments are willing to make good deals in order to unload the property before having to file bankruptcy.  In addition to the low prices, interest rates are extremely low right now.  So, if you buy a house now, you could potentially save yourself tens of thousands of dollars.

Become a Landlord

With housing prices being so low and interest rates being so attractive, you might want to consider investing in a few properties and becoming a landlord.  There are many people out there who are looking for new housing options.  So, if you purchase a few inexpensive homes and put them up for rent, you are likely to get tenants rather quickly.  Even better, if you decide you don’t want to continue being a landlord for years to come, you can sell the homes when the economy turns around and make an attractive profit on your investment.

Make a Move

Have you been thinking about moving to another part of the country, but you couldn’t quite work up the guts to do it?  If you lost your job and if you don’t own your home, now is a good time to reach down into your pants, gather your balls and make a move.  If you lost your job and don’t own a home, you probably don’t have a whole lot holding you down to where you are currently living.  So, now may be the time for you to finally make that move you have been considering making.  If you were smart and planned ahead, you should have plenty of money available to make the move and find a new place to live.

Buy a Car

If you have the cash, now is the time to purchase a car if you need one or to purchase that dream car you have always wanted.  The car companies are desperate to complete some sales, which means they are offering some fantastic deals on cars.  Not only that, prices on other motorized vehicles such as boats, RVs, and ATVs are also looking pretty good for those who have the resources available to buy them.

Sure, the state of the economy has made things rough on all of us.  But, it is possible for you to make something good come of it if you make a few wise choices.  So, quit sitting around feeling sorry for yourself and make some changes so you can keep moving forward in your life and look at this setback as an opportunity for taking your life in a new direction.

Have you been thinking about getting a tattoo? For many guys, getting a tattoo serves as a right of passage and announces to the world that you aren’t a girlie-man because you can take the pain. But, before you start slapping some ink on your skin, there are a few rules of thumb you should keep in mind about getting a tattoo. After all, while a tattoo symbolizes your spontaneity and your willingness to be tortured by a hot needle for a good half hour or longer, you don’t want to end up with ink that you will regret. So, keep these dos and don’ts in mind when planning your tat. Read the full story