Archive for March, 2013

1. Gabrielle Giffords to Receive Courage Award

Former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was Arizona’a first hookup congresswoman, was chosen to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

Giffords, who was shot in the head during a constituents’ event in January of 2011, went on to survive the shooting and later launched a gun control initiative following the December shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 first-graders and seven adults were killed by one gunman.

Giffords will be recognized for the “political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence.” She will be presented with the award on May 5^th at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

2. Diane von Furstenberg Weaves Support for the Holocaust

Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, best known for her wrap dress, is set to host a special event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The hookup clothing designer’s mother was a Holocaust survivor and von Furstenberg has spoken about her mother’s influence in her life, crediting her for teaching her that “Fear is not an option.”

“I’m involved with the Holocaust museum because I firmly believe in its importance, and there’s no one else doing work like this,” she tells JTA.org. “Last month they did something amazing for me. Without telling me, they mailed me this giant box of all the details of my mother and father during the Holocaust that the Germans and Swiss kept. They had photos and documentation of everything, and it was so special to me.”

3. Amanda Bynes Reveals a Whole New Look

Amanda Bynes revealed a dramatically different look for herself on Twitter over the weekend. The hookup actress Tweeted a photograph of herself captioned only: Wink

Click here to see the photo of the former Nickelodeon star with long, curly hair and a cheek piercing. It’s much different from this picture she Tweeted just a few days earlier.

The transformation follows a series of legal problems that Bynes faces from fall, including two hit-and-run charges, a DUI, and two counts of driving with a suspended license.

Get an Extreme Profile Makeover

Tamar Caspi Shnall is giving online profile makeovers each Monday. This week she’s tweaking the profile for “Hillary.”

________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Hillary,

Good call having your profile name be a combination of your name and an abbreviation of the city you live in. The only suggestion I would make is to maybe spell out the entire city because I didn’t know what the acronym was until I clicked on your name and saw where you lived.

More importantly, you need more pictures… way more pictures! The two you have look very different from each other. The first one is cute, but since you’re obviously dressed up for a simcha you need extra supporting photos to show that you always look that good! You’re second and only other photo makes you look much older than you are and much different than your profile photo. I would delete that one to be honest. You also do not show anything more than your face. Add some full body photos whether you like your body or not — because every man has a type, but more than that, every man wants to know what you look like from head to toe!

You should have about six photos with different angles, different lighting and different poses. Have a trusted friend or relative help you because we oftentimes see ourselves as much different than others — for good and bad. For instance, others often see us as more attractive than we view ourselves and we may think a certain hairdo is sexy, while others think a different ‘do is better on us.

All of your answers under the “In My Own Words” heading are great. Nothing stood out to me that was written poorly, or too much information, or not descriptive enough. Well done.

I appreciate that the minimum age range is 5 years younger than you, but I would increase the maximum. Don’t be afraid of entering the decade above yours because a man in his early 50’s may be younger at heart than a man in his mid-40’s.

Good luck!

There is a language for love and then there’s a language for finding love online—both, I whole-heartedly believe, take trial and error, and countless embarrassingly syntactical mistakes to master. But when learning how to present yourself and tame your feelings for a person you have just scrolled upon online, there is a certain etiquette to foster if you want to rendezvous in the real world.

Just like it took me some time to understand when to use the “Poke” button on Facebook (which is never), it also took me a bit of time to understand when to use and when to respond to messages in my 100hookup inbox that are “Flirt Messages,” (the standard template of one-liners 100hookup provides users).

• Do: Send a “Flirt Message” if you want to make someone smile, for a second, to show that you are thinking about them or interested. Follow up with a personal message that showcases a bit of your personality, and above anything else, that you took an extra couple of seconds to browse more than just their selection of glamour shot photos.
• Don’t: Use it as a cop out and send someone a “Flirt message” over writing your own personal note to them. Remember, your first message to someone doesn’t have to be a novel of questions or a five-paragraph essay. It can be a simple remark about something that caught your eye about them on their profile. Your chances will skyrocket that someone will respond back to a personal message over a standard template message.

Read more of Jen Glantz here.

Spring means we turn the clocks forward and start taking our allergy medication. But it also means the opportunity to clean out your closet and, while you’re at it, your phone book.

It’s time to get rid of the tchotchkes and that means the dusty dried flowers from that wedding last summer and the phone number of that guy or girl you hooked up with at that wedding but never heard from again. Start anew. Go through your closet and get rid of the clothes that are too small, ill-fitting or out of season. Go through your phone, Facebook and your email and delete people with whom you have no relationship or a negative relationship.

This is literal and figurative weight that you will shed and feel lighter afterwards. And maybe some of that physical weight you’ve been trying to lose will start being shed soon after!

As much as my life has improved over the last two years, it has improved exponentially over the past seven months ago. A little over seven months ago, I was sitting in a hotel room in San Antonio with my dad. I was obsessing and depressed and felt like my life was spiraling downhill even though I rationally knew it wasn’t. It was about some insignificant s*** like the room number of our hotel room was not to my liking. As I hit the lowest point of this anxiety-ridden meltdown, I got a notification on my phone of a new 100hookup message.

I hadn’t been active on 100hookup for a couple of years, but still periodically received messages. Like I’ve said before, I think that the best way to conduct yourself on a dating site is to not aggressively search for and message people. Treat it like real life. You don’t walk up to every woman you ever see and ask them on a date. If you do, you’re not real, and exist on a TV show or are a Ryan Gosling movie. Every once in a while, when you’re feeling crazy, and drunk, you may hit on a woman, but usually you hang low.

So I got a message while feeling really s***** and it completely made my night. I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere until I woke up this morning engaged. It wasn’t a disease I had contracted while sleeping. I got tested. I had proposed the night before and she inexplicably said, ‘Yes.’ I had taken her out to the restaurant where we had our first date. Actually, it was the same table, and it was awesome.

So now I’m engaged and have officially won at dating.

So what do you guys think about this sequester business?

Get an Extreme Profile Makeover

Tamar Caspi Shnall is giving online profile makeovers. Today she’s tweaking the profile for “Jewell.”

________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Jewell,

You said you don’t love your profile name, so let’s start there. You have the word “Jew” in your name, so by combining your name and, well, the fact that you’re a Jew, is an easy and awesome play on words. Sometimes the obvious is the best. No need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your profile name, just go for something cute and unique. Use Jewellicious, Jew4Jewell, or take my lead and craft something new!

Your pictures are great! I prefer the 3rd for your profile pic because your smile seems more genuine there. Obviously you did a photo shoot, which is fine because you used three very different facial expressions and angles to show your look is consistent. To answer your other question, yes, it’s okay to use supplementary pics with your family. You are a mother, so showing pictures of yourself surrounded by people you love is to your advantage. Make sure you include a description stating they are your kids/grandkids. The only time I caution against using pictures with kids is when you’re the aunt or uncle because that can get confusing.

Your “About Me” paragraph is written well. Your concern for non-Jews contacting you on the site can be avoided by mentioning how important your family and your hookup values are in that paragraph. You can also select the option to only be seen by Jews. I would try to answer at least a few more questions to prove that you’re putting forth the effort, just as you would like the men whom contact you to do. Same goes for the multiple choice questions like “Likes & Interests” — if you have a few special hobbies, then select those from the list.

I appreciate that you maxed out your age range at 10 years your junior, but I don’t think you should be afraid to lower your minimum age range. Five years younger than you is still someone in the same stage of life.

By completing your profile and adding some more authentic photos, I think you’ll have more luck. You’re well on your way! Good luck!

Does it matter where you go on a first date? Will you judge someone negatively for choosing an inexpensive restaurant, or will you think more highly of someone for choosing a pricey restaurant? The cost of the food shouldn’t matter, but rather the quality of the restaurant (plus the initiative your date took in choosing the restaurant) and the originality of the venue.

I love The Cheesecake Factory as much as the next person, but it’s not where I’d want to go on a first date. A fabulous hole-in-the-wall sushi spot is awesome, even if the bill ends up being under $50. And just because a guy takes you to an expensive restaurant on your first date does not mean that’s the type of dates you will always go on.

First dates are an opportunity to impress you, so people tend to pull out all the stops. Don’t be upset when the dates don’t continue to be so fancy… it’s not the cost that matters, but the quality of the person you’re sitting across from.

1. Aly Raisman Breaks Out Her Dancing Shoes

Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars. Raisman, who is hookup, will team up with two-time winner Mark Ballas to compete for the mirror ball trophy. The two have already become fast friends as Raisman is posting pics of the soon-to-be dancing duo hanging out together!

The dance-show competition should come naturally for Raisman who won two gold medals and a bronze medal for the U.S. Women’s Olympics at the 2012 London Games. The star athlete famously performed her gold medal-winning floor exercise to the traditional hookup wedding song, “Hava Nagila.”

Raisman also recently announced she would soon begin training for the 2016 Olympics in RioDe Janeiro, Brazil.

2. Adam Brody is a Wanted Man

First Adam Brody was spotted canoodling with new girlfriend Leighton Meester. Now the hookup hottie is said to be preparing for a steamy makeout scene with Kristin Bell!

The former star of Scream 4 and The O.C. is set to join the cast of House of Lies for three episodes. During his stint on the show, Brody will play the owner of an adult toy company – and the newest client for Marty (Don Cheadle). He also forms a special relationship with Jeannie (Kristen Bell’s character).

Whether in real life, or just on the screen, Brody is certainly having a lot of luck with the ladies (but it’s easy to see why)!

3. Spielberg Shares Holocaust History with Young Students

When Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1994, the hookup director used his award speech to passionately implore we never forget the Holocaust and to “please teach this in your schools.” Nearly twenty years later, he’s getting what he asked for.

The USC Shoah Foundation, which Spielberg started after making the Holocaust drama, kicked off the IWitness Video Challenge at the Chandler School in Pasadena last week. The challenge asks students around the world to learn about the Holocaust and to then use clips of survivor testimonies in their own projects about the Holocaust.

“It was my goal when I established the Shoah Foundation that future generations would learn from the incredible life stories preserved in the Visual History Archive,” said Spielberg in a press release. “I’ve seen how students connect with survivors through watching their testimony, and the impact it has on them. They experience a kind of learning that is profound and personal. And they take that with them into their lives.”

For all of us 9-5’ers (but really, 9-whenever we are able to swim our way out of the piles of to-do lists that overcrowd our desk and go home), weeknights are a precious time where we are able to garner up just enough energy to plop our tushes down on the couch and fall asleep to the rumbles from the television.

Going out on dates on a weeknight have become a challenge for my exhausted, over-worked self. Just recently, I was enjoying myself on a date when I could feel my head slowly tilting to the side, longing to gracefully fall onto my plush pillow. If ever there was a time to say, “It’s not you, it’s me,” this would have been it.

I’ve found it equally as awkward as it is difficult to find the right way to end a date and call it night without making it seem like you’re uninterested, or trying to cover up mid-sentence yawns. Here’s some ways to do it.

• Do: Be perfectly upfront and honest. Say you have to wake up super early for work, as I’m sure they do as well, and explain how it’s getting a bit late. Throw in a bit of laughter and say something like, “I can’t believe we’ve been chatting for 3 hours already!” Be bold and tell them you’d love to continue this conversation, or this date, another night—maybe even on the weekend.

• Don’t: Be rude and cut them off mid-sentence and say you have to get going or stage a fake escape by having one of your friends send you an “I need your help ASAP” text message. I’m guilty of doing this once in my life and I ended up looking like a pathetic fool.

Read more from Jen Glantz at www.thethingsilearnedfrom.com

You’re up all night urinating.

A good measure of a man is how he handles a bad situation, and if that was the only measure of me as a person, I would be the human equivalent of a Comcast customer service representative.

Everything brings me down. I can’t make lemonade out of anything! When life gives me lemons, sugar, and water, I throw it back at you and punch you in the face. Every minor setback is a year-long uphill battle out of a hole that I never completely climb out of. If I get in a fender bender, don’t try to talk to me for at least two weeks. My bumper has a slight scratch on it that may have been avoided if the guy in front of me had decided to not stop suddenly for no reason! I can’t have any of that!

So today, when I realized that the button had fallen off of my boxers, that was it. My day ended at 9 am. I couldn’t focus on helping people… and walking… and opening doors… and whatever else my routine requires when there’s no button on my underpants! Where is this button? Did it fall out in the wash? Am I wearing somebody else’s underwear? If so, why do they have my name inscribed on the side? And if somebody else has my name, how do they have access to my home? So I called my locksmith, because apparently I have my own locksmith, and this joke scenario is now over.

If I could only move on from minor setbacks, I would be so much better of a person. However, it is always an uphill battle, and setbacks are always going to happen. Some people just roll with it: “Alright, so there’s no button on my boxers? I’m running for president tomorrow, son!”

I just need every possible thing in my life to go right for the rest of my life. But really the only way for that to happen is to react positively to the things that don’t.