What Attracts The Opposite Sex: 40 Irresistible Secrets

Listen Up, Guys! Women Love it When You:

- Own a pair of really nice shoes and actually wear them
- Brush the hair out of our eyes
- Are able to hold a baby or push a stroller without squirming
- Plan an evening out from soup to nuts, from finding a movie to making the dinner reservations
- Kiss creatively
- Handle our emotions with grace and compassion
- Have impassioned, informed opinions about women writers and women's issues
- Can distinguish between being courteous and being wimpy
- Know how to inscribe a card with a heartfelt, personal message
- Demonstrate respect for others by standing up when your mother comes to the table, giving up a seat on the bus for a pregnant woman, asking your dad for his opinion and really listening, etc.
- Show genuine, platonic interest in your female friends' lives
- Are playful around dogs, cats and kids
- Make the bed in the morning and fold the laundry -- competently
- Offer juice, soup and TLC when we're sick
- Do the come-from-behind cuddle-hug, just to say hello
- Remember insignificant details, like our favorite color or flower, and make use of that knowledge
- Are unfailingly polite to all members of the service industries
- Offer us caresses and compliments for no particular reason
- Understand that we don't always like it slow and gentle in bed
- Understand that sometimes we do



Listen Up, Ladies! Men Love it When You:

- Have the ability to tease, be playful and take a joke
- Know that men are not, in fact, from Mars, and women are not from Venus
- Wear our T-shirts and boxers
- Call us out of the blue (if we're dating; not if we're practically strangers)
- Kiss creatively
- Have a social conscience and enjoy a good debate
- Have an easy-going attitude about watching or participating in athletic events occasionally
- Are comfortable leading the whole way in bed
- Ask for advice about non-stereotypically male stuff (yes, guys usually know what CD player to buy, but we like to be taken seriously about other things too)
- Are charming and thoughtful to his mother
- Can hold up your hair using only a pencil
- Are sexy and smart at the same time -- for example, you do the Sunday crossword wearing a pair of flirty pajamas
- Have the ability to remind us what gifts you like, without implying an obligation
- Have a spirit of independence, but one that doesn't make the man in your life feel unnecessary
- Know the difference between flirting and just ''being friendly''
- Eat a big meal and fearlessly order dessert
- Take naps next to us
- Send us flowers (believe it or not, men like getting flowers, too!)
- Know what you want
- Know what you want to do

It's Cheaper to be Fat!

It's cheaper to be fat! Yes, you heard me correctly..... As an African-American male pre-disposed to Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and every other health risk out there; I am trying to do my part and eat better. What does it entail? Well, I buy better groceries, drink more water, joined a gym, and cut back on the fast food! However, one thing I have noticed is that, as I get lighter, so do my pockets.... Healthy food is expensive!!! I looked at my last few grocery bills and the total keep getting higher and higher, yet my grocery cart is getting emptier! Some people can't afford a gym membership, spring water, and yogurt shakes!

Just think about the TV commercials that we see from competing franchises.... 99 cent double cheeseburgers, 5 dollar large pizzas, 8 dollar buckets of chicken, pasta night, wing night! For someone with a family of five to feed, it sounds so convenient.... As I stared out the window of a local diner I eat at, I just happened to be across the street from a McDonald's. 4 out of every 5 people that came out of that door was obese. So, it made me wonder; Are people eating there because it's cheap? Because, I'm sorry McD's is not a 4 star establishment.



It also made me look at a few obesity statistics.... Blacks had 51 percent higher prevalence of obesity, and Hispanics had 21 percent higher obesity prevalence compared with whites. Greater prevalences of obesity for blacks and whites were found in the South and Midwest than in the West and Northeast. Hispanics in the Northeast had lower obesity prevalence than Hispanics in the Midwest, South or West. Have you noticed that the areas of the country with better paying jobs have better stats? Do you mean to tell me that we are oppressed, socially, politically, financially and now physically??? This is outrageous!


I mean really... Shouldn't we(society) encourage healthy living? Is it deliberate oppression? Why is the unhealty food so inexpensive? I shouldn't have to break the bank to keep trash out of my body. What processes are being skipped that cause the food to be so cheap? It makes you wonder doesn't it! I know certain races prepare food differently than other races, but it's not that different. The next time you go to lunch, dinner, or whatever time you eat out; take a look around and see what category you fall in. Take a look and see who is eating where you eat at.

Thoughts Please!

When is it the right time?

As I read through various twitter, facebook and blog posts, I see the complaints of various female and male socialites about the dating scene here in DC. This same disdain with the dating scene extends to other cities as well. Various people from different backgrounds, all having a yearning for courtship from persons of the opposite sex. Some looking for a life partner, some a quick fix, and others just someone to snuggle up with on a cold winter night.

However, the question I ask is, when is the right time? Right time for what you ask? Maybe I should be a little more specific. I am speaking from a male perspective, so I ask. When is the right time to approach a woman? I hear various women boasting that their male counterparts aint ish, and vice versa. People so upset with their social status, that they proclaim that they aren't dating ever again. Some looking for movement in a stagnant dating situation, left wondering what the next step is.

At the same time that I read and hear these various expressions of disappointment, I hear a large number of complaints about things we guys have nothing to do with! For instance, many people tweet when they hit the city night scene on the weekends, just as I do. It isn't until the next morning that I am able to go back through, and read everything that has been said about the happenings of that night. Some people are so expressive that, I almost feel like I was there. The funny thing is, people will tweet about the persons that have approached them for a drink, a dance, or even some conversation. Such comments like, "back away mini-me", "Grandpa, I am not interested in a Sugar Daddy", and "Watch out for the big girls", all come across my Twitter timeline.

The fact of the matter is, the same people that are looking for someone to get involved with, are shooting people down left and right. Now, my no means do I feel a person should settle, but give a brother a break. I mean really, calling the man mini-me? I'm sure he didn't elect to be 5'7", or start to lose his hair. If it were up to us men, we'd all be 6,3", with a full head of hair, clear skin, and beach bodies. Some things we just don't have control over. The funny thing is, most of the women complaining about height are shorter than 5'3", LOL. Like really?

Now, I know I have gotten off topic for a minute but, I ask again. When is the right time? If I just happen to be walking in the grocery store one evening, looking for my spaghetti sauce, and see a fine specimen of sheer beauty just at the end of the aisle, am I not allowed to approach her because we are in the store? Or what if we are on the train headed to work? I may not ever see you again. Or what about on Saturday morning when you are walking your dog, or picking up the dry cleaning? How about after church, as we pass the ushers? Do, we have to be in a social setting? Every time I hear about a brother approaching a female in a setting other than a social setting, he's getting shut down. It could be as simple as a morning "hello". The general response is "move it or lose it", LOL.

So, I ask for the question for all who want to know... When is the right time?

Please reflect!