http://mondomagazine.net We're not geeks! Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:39:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-wedding-speeches/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-wedding-speeches/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:00:31 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=2602 Q: My sister is getting married next weekend and I have to make a speech. I am terrible at public speaking, how do I pull it off without looking/sounding like a total loser? Is it just me, or is October the new June for wedding sprees? It seems like for every weekend this month, someone I know has wedding obligations. Including me - my brother is getting married next weekend too, HIGH FIVE! And since I've been working on speech preparedness myself, I can share with you what I've come up with: Easy on the teasy. As far as I can tell, no one likes a wise-ass at weddings. (Trust me, I've already had to learn this the [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-wedding-speeches/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-surviving-the-first-date/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-surviving-the-first-date/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:00:40 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=2248 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. In the battle of the sexes, she is a latter-day Sun Tzu, or perhaps a John Churchill. Anyways, trust her advice. Q- I find first dates totally awkward and nerve-wracking, probably more than the average person does. What are your rules for pulling off a successful first date? Ah yes, I'm with you. First dates are the worst. Not much different than a job interview if you ask me, except you have to be charming and witty on top of dynamic and interesting. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all start out on date number three? No cold sweats, less possibility for horrific surprises, perhaps even an inside joke or two to get the comfort-ball rolling? But have no fear - I've had my share of first dates over the last while, so you've come to the right place. Meaning I am the queen of bunging up first dates with awkwardness and bad moves. So let's take stock of what I've learned with another installment of my personal dos and don'ts, shall we? [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-surviving-the-first-date/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-dumping-dos-and-donts/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-dumping-dos-and-donts/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:00:30 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=2145 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. Organized enough that, while recognizing the above apostrophe's necessity in making sure "do's" isn't read as "doze," its grammatical incorrectness still probably irks her. Trust her advice. Q- I've gone out on a few dates with this guy, and I'm just not feelin' it. He's a good guy and I know he's into me, so I want to end it in a decent, mature way. Is there a "nice" way to blow someone off? Wow, The Organized Thinker has really come to be something of a dating column lately. Good thing I've been practicing dating and getting blown off lately, eh? Har. Bit of a puzzler, this one. No, I do not think there is a nice way to blow someone off, simply because it's just not a nice thing to have happen to you. But I commend you on [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-dumping-dos-and-donts/feed/ 4 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-shy-guy/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-shy-guy/#comments Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:00:06 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1956 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. She is living proof that even the most organized among us enjoy occasionally employing a phrase like "cock sock." Trust her advice. Q: I'm a single guy trying out the dating scene, and I'm having trouble scoring. I like to think I'm handsome and sufficiently engaging; I can be pretty shy, however, and I'm not really the type to hit on someone. Any tips on how I can go about getting a lady, or at the very least a night of fun with a girl looking for the same thing? Oh you poor sods. I've been out in the scene too, and I've been watching you, and I've been listening to you, and yes I'm pretty sure I can help you guys score. [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-shy-guy/feed/ 3 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-get-your-own/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-get-your-own/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:29 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1728 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker, so when she gives you permission to fly off the handle, you damned well take it! Rarely will the opportunity come up again. Oh yes, and trust her advice. Q: Some chick is trying to move in on my mans. She makes sure she shows up where he'll be, blatantly flirts with him, texts and emails him, etc. What really burns me is that she knows he has a girlfriend — and what burns me even FURTHER is that my bf (who wouldn't go there) doesn't seem to get why I have such a problem with it! My question is — do I have a right to tell her to back off, or would that make me seem like a crazy bitch? This kind of thing blows my mind because it's completely unacceptable, and everybody in the world knows it [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-get-your-own/feed/ 3 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-succubus/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-succubus/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:39 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1328 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. She knows that the title "Succubus" is likely to garner twice as many google hits as the equally-appropriate-for-this-post title "Incubus" (see, it depends on whether you're taking the question-asker or the Organized Thinker's point of view). Trust her advice. Q- I'm a commitment-phobe. I love women and dating, but every time it starts to get serious I freak out and jump ship. I'm afraid of the long term notion - the idea that one day I'm going to have to call home to my wife every night and she'll bitch at me for being late or lazy or whatever. How do I find someone to date who isn't going to try and trap me? [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-succubus/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-99-bottles/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-99-bottles/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:35 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1259 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. Her highly attuned mind formed the scientific inspiration for the first ENIGMA machine. Trust her advice. This month I received two requests for advice in the area of drinking etiquette: I find I'm the drunkest girl at the party way too often. How old is too old to get wasted? and How do I not sound like an idiot when I'm drunk? Cue: uproarious laughter from anyone who's known me for a month or more. However, as a seasoned boozehound I think I should be able to muster some useful advice on the subject, at the very least derived from things I wish I'd done. [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-99-bottles/feed/ 2 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-the-high-road_mo_done/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-the-high-road_mo_done/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:38:41 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1223 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-the-high-road_mo_done/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-mingling-101/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-mingling-101/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:00:21 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1186 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. If Alexander hadn't already done it, she TOTALLY would have figured out that Gordian Knot puzzle on her own. Trust her advice. Q: I have a really hard time relaxing and socializing in large groups and with new people. Do you have any tips on how to combat social awkwardness? Do YOU have any tips on how to combat social awkwardness? I behave like a total loser in almost all social situations. But perhaps I can help you just the same; I know what I would tell myself if I wasn't too mental to follow my own advice. First off, people aren't ever as "cool" as you think they are. I have a complex where I think everyone is cooler/smarter/funnier than I am. In most cases this is probably true, but that doesn't mean anyone should be put up on some sort of coolness pedestal. Everyone has insecurities, baggage, weird things about themselves you'd never guess. But you have just as much to offer this conversation, this gathering, this world as anybody else, so don't sell yourself short. [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-mingling-101/feed/ 2 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-how-much-is-that-doggy-in-the-window_kc-done/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-how-much-is-that-doggy-in-the-window_kc-done/#comments Fri, 30 May 2008 04:00:01 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1149 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. In this week's installment, she has literally been trusted with the life of another living being. Trust her advice. Q: Should my girlfriend and I get a dog? We've lived together in the city for about a year, have a good-sized apartment, and we're financially sound. She really, really wants one, but I'm on the fence. A: Ungh. I am not a dog person. I grew up around dogs, but they were terriers, which are pretty much the nerds of the dog world, so they don't count. Or maybe that's the reason I'm not a dog person. Either way, I will do my best to give impartial advice here [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-how-much-is-that-doggy-in-the-window_kc-done/feed/ 1 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-never-the-bride_kc-done/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-never-the-bride_kc-done/#comments Fri, 23 May 2008 04:00:07 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1120 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker — so organized that she has once, literally, managed to THINK her way out of a paper bag. Trust her advice. Never the Bride Q: How do I pull off not being the worst bridesmaid ever? My brother is getting married this fall and I'm going to be a bridesmaid (and an emcee, oh god) for the first time in my life. I'm scared shitless. Not only do I need to manoeuvre my 24/7 t-shirt-and-jeans self into a floor-length satin gown, but I also need to keep my mouth shut and go with the flow — never an easy feat for this dink. So this week's column has advice that is as much for you as it is for me: Take initiative. As in pretty much any scenario in life, a little effort goes a long way. Offer your assistance instead of waiting to be told what to do. If it looks like the other members of [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-never-the-bride_kc-done/feed/ 0 http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-weathering-the-poorhouse/ http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-weathering-the-poorhouse/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 04:00:56 +0000 lifestyle http://mondomagazine.net/?p=1068 Steph Perkins is an organized thinker. In the time it takes you to read this column, she did her taxes for the next four years in advance. Trust her advice. Q. I did something really stupid and blew my entire month's pay on a trip to Vegas and now I am so broke I can't imagine how I'll possibly endure the next few weeks. I hear you're a bit of a skid — can you pass on some expertise on how to survive on a bare minimum till I'm back on my feet? You heard right, super skid to the rescue! Oh I've been there, hell I'm pretty much permanently there, and you'll be fine. Honestly, probably the hardest thing you'll [...]]]> http://mondomagazine.net/2008/the-organized-thinker-weathering-the-poorhouse/feed/ 1