Most guys don’t really pay attention to their dress shoes. They buy a pair of Kenneth Coles and call it good, ooh the travesty. My friends little do we know that a good pair of dress shoes can make all the difference, separate you from getting the date and getting the shaft. So here are three quick tips to keep those shoes in shape once you buy them, because a pair of $400 shoes can still look $15 if you don’t take care of them.
Tip #1 - Buy Shoe Trees
This is thee most important rule of taking care of your shoes. A pair of cedar shoe trees (you can buy them for about $20 at Nordstrom) will extend the life of your shoes by about a year easily, assuming you don’t run marathons in them. The cedar eliminates the odor as well as helps keep the shape of the shoe. Make sure to buy a pair of shoe trees and use them every night after work.
Tip #2 - Get your Shoes Shined
You know that shoe shiner you pass on the way to work that is asking if you want your shoes shined? Yeah, stop at least once a week to get your dogs taken care of. This extends the polish and makes sure that your shoes look as good as new. A $400 shoe with dirt on it is just a dirty shoe.
Tip #3 - Dust is Your Enemy
If you can put your dress shoes in a box to avoid the collection of dust that will inevitable get on them. This keeps the inside of your shoe clean and therefore your socks clean.
So there we are, the most important tips for keeping your dress shoes clean and looking good.
Retired Bachelor @ December 5, 2007
Do you read digg everyday? Do you know what OpenSocial is? If you know what I’m talking about when I say Facebook API, this article is definitely for you. I could go on and on but I think ya’ll get my point. Before I start getting into the meat and potatoes of this post, I just want to let everyone know that I’m a Programmer, Techie, and while I’m not an IT guy I could one day aspire to be. So here we go, the Top 10 Dating Tips for Programmers, Techies, and IT Guys.
1. Stop obsessing over Apple - See that girl over there at the bar? Yeah, she doesn’t care about how to jailbreak an iPhone, the cool new applications you have on your iPod, and least of all she doesn’t care about your Macbook workflows. Nope she’s not impressed, fathom that a girl isn’t into Apple technical jargon. Just because iPods are cool and the iPhone is the best thing since sliced bread doesn’t mean that it’s cool to talk about. Remember most people just use their iPods to listen to music, and their iPhone to look at pictures and make phone calls. And please, for the love, don’t show off your iPhone, things aren’t cool when everyone has one. Trust me you aren’t the only one that can use coverflow and zoom in and out of maps.
2. Take your Php and MySql Book to the Gym - Look I realize that our lives can revolve around the computer but normal people don’t realize that we are glued to our desk. That means you got to get in shape, and that all starts with going to the gym. So my recommendation is stop eating them chicken fingers, and get on the elliptical machine. Bring your favorite Ajax book and just start moving those legs. Burn, baby, burn.! I personally shed 10 lbs on the elliptical machine reading a sci-fi book. Now if that doesn’t qualify me as a Type 1 nerd I don’t know what does.
Note: Traineo is a cool Web 2.0 fitness and health application that will help track your weight, eating habits, and exercise routine.
3. Facebook is a Social Network - Yes Facebook is cool, but please refrain from the impact that it will have on everyone’s life, when in the middle of a conversation with a girl. Once again normal people/girls use Facebook to talk to their friends and keep in touch, they don’t see it as an opportunity to launch a cool new widget. Start talking about Facebook flyers and social ads and I can GUARANTEE that you won’t get a date. Which brings me to Tip number 4.
4. Don’t talk about Star Wars - If you wear a cape and have made your own light saber I’m sorry I can’t help you. You’re have more of a chance of finding your Princess Leah than this article helping you find a date. For everyone else that liked Star Wars, remember, and this is key, that it is a MOVIE. No quoting word for word, no light saber air play. I mean have you seen that guy doing light saber movements in the band room, that’s like premeditated social suicide. If you like Star Wars, all I’m asking you to do is wait to talk about it until after she’s your girlfriend, then she’s stuck. Hey you might even get her to dress up like Princess Leah one day, but I digress…
5. Don’t Brag about your Technical Genius - I know this one is hard, but your depth of knowledge about html, css style sheets, and servers are not exactly conversation starters. They are, believe it or not, the easiest ways to stifle a perfectly great conversation. I know as guys, and techie guys at that, we like to prove our gadgeteer prowess, but it’s a huge turn off for girls. Actually bragging in general is a huge turn off. If you really must show her that you are the bomb when it comes to all things IT, then go to her house and teach her how to troubleshoot her wireless network. Trust me, all of sudden you go from technical geek to handy man in one fell swoop. By the way this is the only time it is acceptable to utter the words “Router”, “WEP Password”, and “Cable Modem” in normal conversation.
6. Shave - I know you are a programmer, facial hair is part of your identity. Blah, blah, blah. If your scruff defines you then you have more problems than I can help you with. If you take a poll of women you’ll find out that clean cut and clean shaven is what 99% of women like. You aren’t Brad Pitt you can’t pull the rugged thing off, I know it’s a harsh reality, live with it. Plus food and coffee gets stuck in your facial hair, and that’s a deal breaker for girls.
7. Stop drinking Diet Mountain Dew - Yeah, I know this one is tough, and I know it’s the lifeblood of any programmer, but you gotta do what you gotta do. This isn’t so much dating advice as health advice, that stuff is bad for you. Plus for some reason my girlfriend said it’s not sexy, so I thought I’d add it.
Disclaimer: I still drink Diet Mountain Dew
8. Don’t tell her about your Website yet - Chances are you’ve said something incredible dumb and offensive on your blog, and you want to put your best foot forward, remember. In addition, sadly your blog is not as popular as you might think. The $2.50 you make from Adsense is not impressive. If you’re a great web designer then by all means feel free to drop your site’s name in the conversation, just don’t make it forced. Remember the rule about no bragging…
9. Use your Programming Genius for Good - If you have any web skills at all you can make a rose open or a create a slideshow of a rose blooming. It’s nerdy yet romantic at the same time. Nothing will endear you to her heart faster than something so simple yet so sweet. That is just an example of what you can do. Be careful with this tip though, don’t blow it early on and create a whole website for her, complete with domain name. Remember simple and sweet, not scary and over the top. If it takes you more than 2.5 hours it’s too much.
Sidenote: I just thought of that rose idea, sadly it looks like I can’t do it for my girlfriend as she’s probably reading this as we speak.
10. Dating is not something you can learn from a book or a blog post - Dating is something that is meant to be fun, to learn by trial and error. There is no magical formula, no perfect one-liner, no process so to speak. You don’t always call the girl on day 2, you don’t always have to meet at a coffee shop, it’s all based on rhythm and flow my friend. So take heart, pack your lunch pail, and have fun with it man, it’s not meant to be stressful. I’m not asking you to hide yourself or things about yourself, all I’m advising you to do is be focused on her. If you focus on her, listen to her, and are genuinely interested in her life, wishes, and aspirations things will fall into place. If you focus on you, you, you, then in the end you will have you, you, and only you. Lastly if you’re feeling down after this post keep your chin up, if I can have a great girl (and I do have a wonderful, wonderful lady) then trust me you can too, because I’m a total nerd.
Peace all,
The Retired Bachelor
Retired Bachelor @ November 8, 2007
