Man Among Boys

This post has 695 words. It will take approximately 6 minutes, 57 secondes for reading it.

I was enjoying my morning workout at the hotel I was staying at and watching a CNN news piece to make the time go by on my cross trainer.  They had a very interesting story that marries two of my favorite subjects: technology and relationships.

They conducted a survey of over 2000 people and over 47% said they’d ended a relationship (“broke up” as we used to say back in the day) with someone through electronic media.  Email, changing their Facebook status…some even used Twitter.  Can you imaging a Tweet going out about you getting dumped for all of your friends to read?

What kind of punk sh*t is that?  Not only is that unmanly, it might get you shot.

Grow a backbone.  We all have relationships that end.  It happens to the best of us.  The way that we handle it may determine if you will still be friends, or even “friends with benefits” if you handle your business right.

Call her and tell her you need to talk with her.  I wouldn’t recommend a public place because you never know how she might react and then you’ll both look like fools if she shows her ass in a crowded restaurant.  Meet her at her place so you have the option to leave quickly if you need to.  You might even want to keep your car running outside.

Follow a few simple rules and you’ll get through this:

Rehearse

It’s a good idea to rehearse exactly what you’re going to say so you don’t fumble through things.  The worst thing you can do is to leave gaps for her to interrupt and try to sneak a few things in there.

Be direct

Pussy-footin’ around the issue won’t make things better.  If you leave her an out, she’ll take it as you still wanting to be with her and that you still have a chance to make things work.  Let her know that you don’t want the relationship anymore and that you should go your separate ways.

Don’t get emotional

Emotions can be an out for her to think things still have a chance.  Don’t hold her hand while you tell her or sit too close. That goodbye kiss is out.  Treat it like a business meeting; keep to the agenda and keep it brief.  I don’t want to say to be cold, but if you have to be cold to be honest, go that route.  The slightest sign of weakness can turn a break-up into a cry fest.

Avoid the word “but”

Read this sentence:  I really don’t think we are going to work, but I enjoyed the time we had together.  What did you take away from that?  Probably that I’m enjoying the time with you.  The words “but” and “however” are what I call a “message killers.”  Everything said before them is negated and forgotten about.

You can’t tell a woman “I think you look like Halle Berry, but that dress doesn’t work for your figure.”  In her eyes, you just said she needs to change, or worse, called her fat (we’ve all done and regretted that, fellas).  Avoid “message killers” as much as possible.

The Other Woman

I don’t know how some of your simple asses keep falling for this one.

If you are leaving her for someone else, leave that sh*t out!  It is not her business to know why you’re leaving and you don’t want it to be.  I don’t care what she says to you or if she keeps telling you that it’s ok to tell her the truth.  Hell no.  Your dumb ass will catch a right hook so fast you won’t see it coming.  She will curse you for the rest of your life and do whatever she can out of spite to make life miserable.  Trust me on this.

Just do what I tell you and you’ll get through this unscathed.  If you choose not to listen, that’s fine…just watch for the hook.

Feel free to comment.

• Role Playing One of the appeals of fantasy role playing even in the way it started which...
• Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume Thirteen. This Monday is my birthday, so I am sure this weekend will be filled with...
• Should I Tell My Friend to Lose Weight? If you noticed that your friend needs to lose weight, will you be brave enough...

This post has 469 words. It will take approximately 4 minutes, 41 secondes for reading it.

I was watching a Bob Costas interview on NBC this past Sunday with Winter Olympics medalist Apollo Ohno.  He was talking about how he’d persevered through another grueling games and how he was proud to represent the United States.

I also heard some really unmanly sh*t too.  Costas was talking about how Ohno had lost out on a couple of chances at gold medals and showed some highlights to review. Ohno had an excuse for just about every case.

In one clip, a German skater placed his hand on Ohno’s leg as he came around the bend towards the stretch run. Barely touched him really.  Ohno excuse was that he didn’t do anything wrong and that the German shoved him out of the way.  In another case, two Korean skaters cut in front of Ohno around the bend on the stretch run.  Ohno again said that he didn’t do anything wrong and that the Korean skaters cutting in front of him was the reason he lost out on the gold.

I wish I’d had a chance to interview Ohno instead of Costas. You can probably guess my interview would have gone a little differently.

• TrueMan:  Apollo, in this race, it seems that you were edged out for the gold.  Tell us what happened here?
• Apollo Ohno: blah blah blah..German skater shoved me down…blah blah blah…it wasn’t my fault I didn’t win the gold.
• TrueMan:  Uh…thanks, Apollo.  Let’s look at this one. Here, it seemed like you got edged out again.
• Apollo Ohno: blah blah blah..Koreans cut me off…blah blah blah…it wasn’t my fault I didn’t win the gold.
• Trueman:  Uh…thanks, Apollo.  By the way…you know you’re acting like a little b*tch right now, right?

A man doesn’t make excuses.  He takes his losses in stride and moves forward to bigger and better things. Did you hear Dan Marino making excuses about him not winning a Superbowl with the Dolphins? Did you hear Cleveland’s Craig Ehlo complain in the ’89 playoffs when Jordan faked him out and bust a jumper in his face to move on in the first round?  No. They congratulated the winning team and kept it moving.

Apollo Ohno might be a decorated Winter Olympics athlete, but he needs to learn to man up.  Stop cryin’ like a little b*tch.  You don’t make excuses for why you win, so don’t make them for why you lose.  Maybe if you were in front of the other competitors you wouldn’t have those things happen to you.

Apollo, you need to man up.  And take that gotdamn mascara off.  Don’t know what the hell is wrong with you.

Feel free to comment.

• WINTER OLYMPICS ODDITIES [/caption] This year, the Winter Olympics are being held at a lower altitude than ever...
• Negative Self Judgement Here is an example of negative self judgement: A man feels that there must be...
• Hope Strengthens Itself in the Lord David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was...

This post has 341 words. It will take approximately 3 minutes, 24 secondes for reading it.

So you the smarty art n***a, you the smarty art n***a, but can answer me this, answer me this…can ya kick MY ass??? – Chris Rock, “Never Scared”

If you believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution you believe that life developed  from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic descent with modification.   Basically, complexed life evolves from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time.   Random genetic mutations occur within an organism’s genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival and  mutations are passed on to the next generation.

My question is, “have we really evolved?”

(Note: I’m not here to argue science v religion, even though I could.  When I speak of evolution I’m referring to our advancement as a society.  Don’t preach to me with a bible or try to prove life through the periodic table.  I’m not in the mood for it)

I know we claim to be a more advanced society with our advanced degrees, soy mocha lattes, MP3 players, and hybrid cars…but is that all a cover?

Take Mike Tyson for example.  It’s obvious Mensa won’t be calling him anytime soon, but we loved him.  Adored him.  Put him on a pedestal.  Why?  Because as evidenced by the video below, he could rip someone’s head off.

Mixed martial arts, which former Republican presidential candidate John McCain dubbed “human cockfighting” is probably the fastest rising and highest rated sport today.  It’s an art, but it’s also blood and guts.  Fists and feet fly.  The aim is to beat your opponent into submission…and I love it.

When people cut of off on the freeway, we curse them out and flip them “the bird.”   Rational, logical are often reduced to raving lunatics.  Communication is often replaced with screaming matches.  It really makes you question things.

Are we the advanced society we think we are?

I’ll let you know in a few.  I’m watching UFC Ultimate Knockouts right now…

Feel free to comment.

• So What Does A Man Want In A Woman... by Tessa Radley, guest blogger and author of Millionaire Under the Mistletoe. I’ve been thinking...
• Best of the Rest: Back to School Edition Schools are starting all over this week, and I spent the weekend at Maryland. Kinda...
• Who's The Best As Singer: Roberto Carlos Or Gilberto Gil (both Are Brazilian)? http://En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Carlos_(singer) http://En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Gil Comment; please! I want Answers and Brazilian greetings for you! People opinion :...

This post has 337 words. It will take approximately 3 minutes, 22 secondes for reading it.

I’ve made no secret about the past few years for me.  They’ve been rough.  Very rough.  I’ve been on the brink of self-destruction and begun to rise from the ashes.  I’ve been kicked while I’m down.  I’ve had good time and bad times.  I’ve found out that some of the friends (and even family) I had really ain’t sh*t.

So I’m moving on.  Actually I’m moving south.  No, not Maryland south.  Not Atlanta south.  Not Miami south.

Ever been to Costa Rica?

I was offered an opportunity in Costa Rica and I’ve decided to take it.  It’s about an 18 month commitment but it can be permanent if I choose after that time.  Maybe it’s the change I need to get back on track (don’t worry, Man Among Boys will still be coming at you full force).  I’m moving on, but I’m not leaving the important things behind.

Being a man means you don’t cut and run.  You can move on but you don’t leave behind what’s important to you.  Namely, my son.

I wish I could take him with me, but he has a life here.  Him being a part of my life is a necessity, like food and water. I’ve negotiated that I can come back at least once a month to see him or he can come up to see me.  I want to make sure I’m a part of his life and that he knows I still want to be.

I’ll make sure his computer equipped with Skype and a webcam so we can see each other and talk every.  I’ll also make sure that I install Mikogo (free web conferencing service) so if he has trouble with his math homework that I can go over it with him.

I’m leaving the traffic behind.  I’m leaving the cold weather and harsh winters behind.

My son…not a chance.

• Creating a Budget 2 Now that you know where your money is coming from and where it is going,...
• Ron Carter-An EX Floor Trader On How His Son Persuaded Him To Release His PFR System Discover a Forex Trading System that made 2956% PROFIT in just 1 month. Watch this...
• Why is sin reprehensible to God? The other day I tweeted something that was ambiguous and challenging and I’m happy to...

This post has 362 words. It will take approximately 3 minutes, 37 secondes for reading it.

If any of you weekend were probably out at the last minute buying fresh roses and candy and stuffed animals of all sorts for your wife/girlfriend/side piece/jumpoff to help bring in a fake holiday.

I call it the Valentines’ Day Trap.  Fellas, don’t fall into it.

Society has trapped us into thinking that we will need to a special day to recognize how much we love our significant other.  I call bullsh*t on that one.  It’s a bullsh*t holiday.

Women look forward to Valentines Day every year, looking pitiful and tired as they look forward for the plans they will make with their man to go to dinner and dancing.  They’ll get dressed up and ready to go out as if the government is going to ban salsa dancing on February 15.

Valentines’ Day is a superficial holiday designed to suck the life and money out of a man.  So to counteract this, I have a recommendation for you fellas (and ladies too):

Make every other day more special.

This isn’t a cop out or a soft post designed for the ladies; I don’t do soft.  I’m not taking their side. Remember, I ride for the fellas, and I’m just trying to help you keep a happy home.  A man has to realize that in order to keep a happy relationship, he can’t just wait for the holidays and stock up on chocolates.  A simple “thank you” note for picking up your dry cleaning on the way home or sending flowers to her office for no particular reason will do wonders.

I’m no relationship expert (as I’ve said before, I’ve been divorced), but I know enough that if you have a good woman to appreciate her.  I’ve always given you the real fellas, so you know if it’s coming from these lips, you might want to consider it.

You don’t want to be that guy who waits until it’s too late to find out that he’s had a good thing all along.

Just something to think about fellas.  Feel free to comment.

• Need last minute tax help? Call the IRS! I've mentioned this before but the Internal Revenue Service call centers are very helpful. I've...
• Roundup: Candy and Cavities Did you have a spooky Halloween? I know I did. I hope you've sorted your...
• Calling Ducks Too many people think the calling ducks is simply grabbing a duck call and blowing....

This post has 700 words. It will take approximately 7 minutes for reading it.

I was on another blog called BeastDome and came across an interesting post about Carmen Ortega.  Apparently, she is Reggie Bush’s side piece.  Now, I’m tired of telling you guys how to manage side pieces, but this is at a whole new level, and I have to address it.

As I’ve said before, if you want to embarrass yourself, that’s fine.   But when you embarrass me and you f*ck it up for everyone else, then, as the representative of men everywhere, I have to step in and check ya ass.

Check out this clip that was on the BeastDome blog:

Carmen Ortega At Reggie Bush\’s House

(Note:  I’m not greedy. I got the idea from this from another blog and expanded on it.  For all you other bloggers, give credit where it’s due.  I’ve seen a few of my ideas on other blogs, but I’ll stay quiet.  Real recognize real.  Fake will sink to the bottom.)

I have a few issues with this:

Why is this b*tch in the house when you aren’t home?

If you didn’t learn the lesson from part one of my series, Something On The Side, you should already know that a side chick should not be in the house while you aren’t there.  She should not have a key.  I can’ t imagine Bush would be dumb enough to allow this chick in his house with a camera to document her giving a tour, so he probably wasn’t home and it doesn’t look like she broke in.

If you are not there, a side piece should not be.  No exceptions.  End of story.

Watch the kind of girls you make sidepieces

Reggie Bush obviously did not read my blog the Side Piece Rules Of Engagement .  Ortega looks just like Kim Kardashian.  If that’s what you want man, why not just stick with Kim?  Again, girls that have the same look and same tastes are likely to run in the same circles.

And while she was overlooking the porch did you hear her comment “This is living the life” and the look on her face.  This is a thirsty b*tch that is looking to move up into the number one spot so she can shine.  This side piece does not know her place.

Good side piece management dictates that you clearly define her role.  Ortega clearly does not know hers.  She at best will be number 2 (if there are 3, 4, 5, that should not be her concern or her business.  You should not look to be Lionel Richie and try to marry the side piece (I still remember the ass whuppin his wife gave him when she found out she was cheating. LOL).

If she is not comfortable with that, kick her to the curb. Quickly.  There is nothing but trouble ahead.

Side Piece Promotion: Upgrade Required

If you are stupid enough to promote a side piece to the number one spot, she should be an upgrade.  Kim Kardashian is not only fine as all hell, but the income comes in with her shows and other things she has.  Also, she’s a very freaky girl as Rick James would say (heard rumors of a Reggie Bush/Kardashian Superbowl sex tape???).

I’ve never really seen Ortega before this other than a few magazine covers.

(Note: A VERY BAD IDEA.  If you try to promote a side piece, you’ll have unnecessary trouble and drama throughout the entire relationship because she won’t trust you and she’ll remember how she got you.  She’ll always look over her shoulder for the next side piece and you will pay the price for her treachery.)

Kim Kardashian has more going for her.  This side piece affair has gone public and Bush would be taking a loss.   Bad move.

Reggie, you’re messing up a good thing because of bad side piece management. Feel free to email me at any time at manamongboys@live.com and I’ll arrange a session for you to refine your management skills.  Your moves to this point are definitely not TrueMan approved.

Feel free to comment.

• Real Estate Investments - Good Idea or Bad Idea? Right now, if there was a market that had bad news written all over it,...
• Massa vs. Bunning, Weasel vs. Warrior [/caption] ERIC CHESLEY: The balance of health care reform lies in the hands of weasels....
• Buying a House as a Tax Shelter [in a Depreciating Market] Does it make sense to buy a house for the tax advantages? Apparently quite a...

This post has 426 words. It will take approximately 4 minutes, 15 secondes for reading it.

A man can be inspired by a lot of things.  You never know what.  It can be a sunset, a billboard…or even the actions of a little girl.

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you know that the North Eastern states have been getting their collective asses kicked by Mother Nature. Last week, the region got over 24 inches of snow and right now, it’s getting another 24.  It’s been brutal with blankets of white coming with cold, harsh winds.

I spent part of the afternoon shoveling my car out in the blizzard; if you wait too long, the snow freezes, and you’re shoveling heavy blocks of white ice. I’d been out there for about a half hour when a little girl approached me with her own little shovel and starts digging right beside me.  She couldn’t be any older than six.  I turned to her and smiled as she swung her shovel back and forth.  She made more of a mess than anything, but she tried as hard as she could.

We’d been digging for about 10 minutes before her mother called to her to come inside. She yelled back, “Mom, I’m helping the man shovel snow.  I’ll be in in a minute.”  I turned to tell her that she should listen to her mother and go inside.

“Mister, you sure you’ll be ok with out me?  It’s a lot of snow.”

“Yes,” I chuckled,”I’ll be fine.  And thank you.”

She threw her shovel over her shoulder after a hard 10 minutes’ work and left.  But she did more work than I did all day.  Because it was genuine.  All she wanted to do was help.  She didn’t want anything for it. I offered her a few bucks as she left but she said she was just glad to help.

And as they say a good deed in infectious.  After I finished with my car, I walked over to another guy who was shoveling and helped him.  And then he in turn went to help someone else.

That little girl’s actions inspired me to help someone else.   It also made me think of why I started this blog: to tell my story and to help other people where I can.  If I can help someone be a better man, that’s a good thing.

Maybe there are some good people out there after all.  It’s sad that most of them are probably still in the first grade.

Feel free to comment.

• Works For Me Wednesday: ING Savings + FREE MONEY! For this weeks Works For Me Wednesday I have decided to share with you a little secret that...
• Saving Money The Right Way Many people end up spending money they simply do not have, or not saving nearly...
• West Virginia Provides An Energy Rebate Through Residential Tax Credits There have been rapid advancements in renewable energy technology over the past couple of decades....

This post has 28 words. It will take approximately 16 secondes for reading it.

I was going to put another post on here when I came across these pictures online.  There isn’t anything more manly than this.

Feel free to comment.

• Life in Iraq: An Army Officer's View The final lecture in our Lent series was given by Captain Abi Brown, a member...
• Twitter for Business - How To Use It How to use Twitter for business is a question I get all the time. A...
• Ski Deals Pop Up Across Country to Combat Recession The economy may be feeling quite a downhill slide right now, but this has prompted...

This post has 407 words. It will take approximately 4 minutes, 4 secondes for reading it.

All I have in this world is my balls and my word and I don’t break them for no one. – Al Pacino as Tony Montana in “Scarface”

I was watching “Scarface” not too long ago, and started thinking about the main character, Tony Montana.  He’s has a lot of flaws, but if there is one redeeming quality to him, it’s that he keeps his word.

(A brief segway: “Scarface” is a cult classic, but it pains me to see Al Pacino reinforce just about every Cuban stereotype with his superthick accent and pimp strut.  And I wonder why they couldn’t find a hispanic actor for the job, but I digress..)

Tony Montana wasn’t a man to be admired, but he had his morals.  He was a thief, drug dealer, and a murderer…but he wasn’t a liar.

It seems like a man keeping his word is a rare find these days.  Whenever you turn of the nightly news, you’re almost certain to find something of a man who said he was going to do something but didn’t.  There have been cases in business (AIG, Enron), government (just about everything George W. said), and even sports (I’m almost certain Tiger Woods made a vow to be faithful to his wife).  Where did we go wrong?

Now I’m no moral compass.  I’ve gone off the path of the righteous more than once in my life, hell even twice, but I keep my word.  That’s important to me.  Your word is your bond, and you should do all you can to keep it.

There may be some unforeseen circumstances that make you break your word.  For example, if you suddenly lose your job, taking your 5-year-old on that summer vacation to Disney World you promised goes out the window.  But as soon as you can make it up to him, you should.  You gave him your word.

Tony Montana said that all he had was his balls and his word.  Well, that’s all you leave with too.  All of the awards and money you made don’t mean anything when they’re putting you six feet under.  People will remember you for what you did..and didn’t..do.

A man already has his balls.  Make sure that you keep your word.  That will make you more a man than your testicular fortitude.

Feel free to comment.

• Our First Appointment This post was written on Monday, April 26th after our first appointment with the OB....
• Top-Ranked Players Advance to Quarter-Finals at Australian Open At the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Andy Roddick defeated Fernando Gonzales on Sunday to...
• 10 Random and Odd Facts - Jan 22, 2010 [/caption] 1. Spinach consumption in the U.S. rose 33% after the Popeye comic strip became...

This post has 109 words. It will take approximately 1 minute, 5 secondes for reading it.

Afternoon, Man Among Boys readers.  Instead of giving you a blog today, I want to tell you about a new collaboration called Block Standard (www.blockstandard.com).

Block Standard is a collective of like-minded and like mission men who decided to pool their individual insights into one blog for the immediate dissemination of information that enables you to improve your money-making capabilities. You’re going to get a lot of different views from different people from a lot of different angles, each building on the other.

The goal is to empower you with knowledge.  What you do with it is completely up to you.

Block Standard…“Redefine Your Corner”

• Learn How to Make Money Online Blogging Blogs have become synonymous with money, and a lot of people set up their own...
• What is an RSS Feed and Why Syndicate Your Blog? Blog feeds or RSS feeds allow for feed readers to access a site that automatically...
• SEO Success With Corporate Blogging One of the main reasons that many companies begin blogging is to help them attract...