He ages like ... cheese

The myth goes: men get better with age, but only some women age gracefully. Men in their twenties don't need to settle down because they will get more handsome and marketable, which can wait to be exposed to the dating pool until their late thirties/early forties. So, they wait and then they make shameless plugs to being "ready" when they are older. Case and point:
This week I was in LA for work and out to drink with colleagues, a group of older men come over to talk about absolutely nothing: so and so is an executive chef and someone else owning real estate. Honestly, after a long day, I just was not in the mood for entertaining the elderly. Then the classic lines from the fogies "what do you do?" "Oh, isn't that interesting..." "So do you have a boyfriend?" For some reason my answer, "yes we've been together for four years", doesn't deter men in their forties as easily as it does their younger peers. The man literally replies with "oh that's nice, you know, I'm ready for marriage now..." I wanted to say, "congratulations for making that revelation so timely in your life," but instead I made a really awkward motion to one of my co-workers mentioning the man's occupation and made the ever-popular escape.
Unfortunately, my thoughts about this man being pathetic seemed to anger karma and a waiter spilled red wine down my shirt and onto a practically new pair of beige shoes (luckily sparing my favorite cargo pants). Maybe karma is favoring the older men that capitalize on waiting? But honestly, did this man really think sans boyfriend someone twenty plus years his junior would be interested in a marriage-friendly male of his age?
And then I thought about the book and now movie "Think Like A Man" that argues men are ready to be married when they feel their life is where it's suppose to be: financially stable, career-elevated, and structurally sound in all other capacities.
Do women simply feel these stable platforms earlier on and men get the realization later? I think men choose to age like cheese, they teeter on curdled and come out as an acquired taste. But don't worry there are plenty of women closer in age that are single, fabulous, and spared of the cougar status. And these are the same women that age like a fine wine, women that know their worth, but no one has uncorked them yet. I'm no match-maker, but since wine and cheese pair well together, maybe if men stop believing in age ain't nothing but a number they could wind up with a nice bottle :)

Three Ways to NOT Pick Up a Girl

I went to a networking event last week and a friend of mine asks me "so what's the best way to get a girl." Now, some of you ego-crazed men are probably thinking "really, dude? Really?" Well let me tell you, the stories I've heard - y'all could use a read of this blog post :)

Now, there are a few different approaches often used by men, here's a look at a few and I've rated effectiveness, scale of 1-10: 10 being the most effective.

1. The one who plots 

Effective? 6.5
The plan: instead of approaching a girl with a line or a "hello my name is ..." this guy is bound to drop his keys or something in the girl's line of sight in hopes he can grab her attention, purposefully bumps into her, anything that offers a nice lead in without forcing himself to think too much about what to say.

Why does this work? Either we laugh at the guy and think, "wow that was really weak, points for creativity and coordination, so hey what can it hurt" (unless he bumps her down some stairs or something)

Why does this fail? It's lame... And it's lame.

2. The one who has a line for everything

Effective? 3.0
The plan: this guy will find a line for everything "hey angel, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" "Excuse me; I think you owe me a drink.”[She says, "Why?"] “Because when I saw you from across the room I dropped mine. It was a rum and Coke, and I’m [your name].” Or how about that guy that makes a nick name for himself, "they call me go-getter, I go-get what I want, even you." Or the worst, when he tries to finish your sentence to suggest chemistry...

Why does this work? Some women believe they can really find someone who drops a line. Unlike the one who plots a guy might get a laugh - or a guffaw. Then she will probably call her friends over and ask you to repeat it ... oh wait I'm jumping ahead to the fail.

Why does it fail? This guy will become a joke, a trip down memory lane during girl talk "remember when that guy said ... "Also, no one knows someone in two seconds - even love at first sight is based on just that - sight not words, so finishing each other's sentences on day one is just annoying or a jinx. Lines generally don't work because they lack creativity and score high in search engine optimization - yes I'm saying he probably found that online.

3. Mr. Suave

Effective? 8.0
The plan: this one knows himself as the best thing she will see today, and he will tell her, "you're the best thing I've seen since I looked in the mirror." His over-arrogance, alpha-male attitude and good looks will basically make a girl think he comes with a horse and carriage.

Why does it work? All women want to be complimented and by someone who looks better than anyone their friends could pull, so if you create a technique capitalizing on such... well #FTW

Why does it fail? Sometimes these guys can go overboard and their cockiness isn't validated. If you're having a low self-conscious day stay away from this one, and yes we can sense fear.

I could go on, but I'll save you the time. Be yourself, I've heard people decide if they like someone within the first minute of meeting them - so if you lead with anything else, she won't like you.

More tips or failures to add? Write me some stories and we'll make it a series regular :)