Whether you’re joining friends at the neighborhood pub or traveling to a holiday dinner, one can be guaranteed that drinks will be there to thoroughly lubricate the evening (sorry, couldn’t think of a better word).

If you've been to this site more than once, you've probably figured out that the DudeRated.com crew spends a lot of time hanging out, and throwing back pints together…

And after a serious debate of social profiling based on drink in hand, and hours of imitating what a marinated Jeremy Piven might be like at a holiday party, this is where the DudeRated.com writers found ourselves:

Holiday Season Drink'in

1.  Eggnog

Tradition is tradition and nothing is as traditional as the serving of  fat-laden creamy calories and whiskey to begin the evening with family and friends. The guest holding this is mentally yelling, “I just showed up at this party offering a fine bottle of wine and this is what I get in return???”

Best Served To?  Grandma.

2.  The Pinot Grigio (the white): 

She’s wearing a skinny red dress. She’s not married. And she didn’t bring a date. The writing on the wall couldn’t be bigger.

Best Served To?  That lonely vixen looking for some holiday cheer.

3.  The Pinot Noir (the Red):

The festive holidays have a poster child for the go-to wine, and this can pretty much be it. It’s the safe bet for any guest, projecting to everyone in their surroundings that they're getting a conservative start to the evening. It’s also a pretty good assumption that this person is wearing some sort of clothing with reindeer, Santa Claus, or snow flakes knitted in. We’ve all been there.

Best Served To?  Mom, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Bruce, and the ladies from the Republicans for Peace club.

3.  Light Beer (Bud, Coors, Etc.):

Being a gender neutral (neutered) society now, we shouldn’t polarize anyone holding a beer. But this is “mostly” grasped by men. And usually because the evening will call for some sort of anesthesia against the onslaught of in-laws, relatives, and having to wear that knitted sweater with snowflakes. Hence the word “grasp”. Drink on my friend then proceed to The Jack and Coke.

Best Served To?  Just about anyone, provided they can hold the bottle.  This is the drink of the masses.

4.  Dark Beer (Guiness):

Aye, now this guy is ready to settle in for the long haul. An experienced holiday veteran, he’s seen all the ups and downs this kind of party brings. Possibly a grizzly fellow, he tells stories repeated every year word for word, you could almost lip-sync it better than Brittany (Pre-Fedderline).

Best Served To?  Grizzly fellas, lumberjacks, and the Irish.

5.  The Jack and Coke:

Like an olympic athlete looking for that next gear of endurance, a guest may reach for this. It says to all, “I was here for the food, now, I’m here for you!”. Yes this person is ready to bring the holiday party to the next level. Beware though, poor decisions are just over the horizon. Better bring out the camera and be ready!

Best Served To?  Guys who graduated from college 5-10+ years ago, and want to re-live their glory days.

6.  Jack minus the Coke:

You know that figurative socially acceptable line, the one where on this side all things said and done are without judgment to character and, on the other, all actions are followed by the damaging silence of public disbelief as you collide head-on, into the wall of humiliation? This person is on the non-stop holiday express without a helmet. 

Best Served To?  This chap.

7.  Jose Cuervo:

Jose is a corruptor. Jose comes out on personal celebrations or losses. Jose was never meant for the holidays. Jose is just plain bad. Expect holiday ornaments to be molested and a need to articulate bodily urges more frequently.

Best Served To?  Fraternity guys, home for Christmas break.

8.  Grain Alcohol:

Grain Alcohol (everclear): This one came out of left field in our conversations. One contributor had a story involving a neighbors plastic santa w/ reindeer lawn ornaments, fireworks, and the local fire department. The empty bottle of Everclear was discreetly hidden in the nearby bushes. If you have any good stories about this one; write back! We’d love to post ‘em.

Best Served To?  Grandpa.

jump start your job search…

You know who has the best jobs in the US? The meteorologists. I mean these guys knew what they were doing, and get paid a salary most of us can only dream about. I’m not putting down Al Roker or Bill Evans or even that semi-pro Valentina Avanzi. (Yummy) But you have to admit it, their job security looks way better than ours, and they’re allowed to be wrong.  

Absolute genius! 

So what can you do if you’re not blue screen material, and you’ve lost your job, or need to find a new career?

Be proactive because it’s job hunting season!

Yes, we’ve been watching it on TV, and have read the news articles published on all the top websites about the wretched economy, the dwindling job market, and how the Canadian Dollar is catching up to the Good ol’ American Greenback. (I’m kidding, sort of) but it’s enough to make you invite Jack, Jim, and Johnnie Walker over for a week long liquid lobotomy.

Before you do though, we want you to put your resume out there. Seriously. Even if you like the job you have, it doesn’t hurt to be available. 
 

Here are Three Reasons Why Getting Your Resume Out There is a Good Idea:
 

1. Company’s are taking this year to trim back their talent budgets, even if they don’t need to. Not to say they’re holding back but in many industries, salaries have been frozen and promotions are few and far between. Makes great strategic sense if you’re the CFO looking to keep a cushion in your PnL sheets, but as an employee, there’s no incentive.

    

2. It’s good to know the market, and the best way is to leave a little bait out there. Your resume can tell you how much you might be worth in the job hunting world.

    

3. And our last reason – networking. You build it, it’ll take care of you. Simple.

    

Spend some time on these sites we’ve listed and see what’s your flavor.

1.  Search for jobs in your area on SnagAJob.com  

2.  Executive Career Opportunies: $80,000 to $500,000+

3.  Risesmart – this is a unique job board that offers personal HR specialists

4.  Climber.com: Dating for Jobs. Find the company and career that fits you the best.

Use common sense: the more sites you’re on, the more chances you’ve got. Then once you’ve pimped yourself to the business world, pour yourself a Johnnie W. on ice and start Googling: "Valentina."

Sip. Click. Enjoy!

Top Five Ways to Relieve Stress

By Ghost Rida

Everyone gets stressed out.  Even the toughest dudes out there feel stress, because stress can come about from a variety of reasons – from short term events like getting lost while driving or getting in an argument with your significant other, to the long-term stressful events such as job dissatisfaction, marital problems, illness, etc. 

Stress levels are high around the world right now.  We are constantly bombarded with news about the global economic crisis, job loss, threats of nuclear attacks, plummeting home prices, celebrity deaths, and so on.

Stress can manifest in a number of different ways, such as general anxiety, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, irritability, headaches, depression, etc.

The real problem with stress isn’t just that it feels unpleasant, it is that negative stress affects your body and your health if you don’t deal with it properly.

There are countless ways that people can deal with and manage their stress.  Some are healthy, and some are not so healthy.  If you’re feeling a bit stressed out, and wantt to manage your stress in a healthy, positive way, consider engaging in some of the following activities:

1.  Practice Deep Breathing
Sounds simple, right?  Deep breathing is a great way to relax, and best of all, it’s totally free!  Most people never think to try deep breathing exercises because breathing is such a normal, automatic human function that it’s a little strange to think of it as a stress reliever. But it works, and you should try deep breathing a couple of times a day. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Lie down with your back against your bed or the floor,
Step 2: Place your hands on your stomach, behind your head, or at your side, and just relax,
Step 3: Keep your eyes closed, and very slowly inhale deeply (try counting to 10),
Step 4: When your lungs are full of air, hold your breath for one to two seconds,
Step 5: Exhale very slowly (again, try counting to 10).  Repeat Steps 1-5, five to 10 times.

2.  Go Bowling
Bowling is an excellent way to relieve stress.  The earliest form of bowling dates back to Ancient Egypt, and today is enjoyed by nearly 100 million people in close to 100 countries worldwide.  Bowling’s physical and psychological benefits help to promote stress relief.  Exercise is a very effective way to manage stress, and bowling is a type of exercise that is similar to walking with free weights – it helps burn calories and works out muscles that are not normally exercised in a typical daily routine.  Psychologically, bowling works wonders to relieve stress.  You get to roll a round heavy object down an ally to knock pins down.  What’s more, if you bowl with your buddies, or in a social setting, you will help foster comradery and possibly create new friendships.

3.  Go Fishing
Make sure you’ve got a fishing license if your state requires one (getting fined for fishing without a license is just added stress).  Freshwater fishing is both fun and extremely relaxing activity. It doesn’t matter if you fish off a dock, a pier, or from a boat – you’ll have time to chill out between your next catch.  Fishing is extremely therapuetic because you’re engaged and focused on a leisurely and relaxing activity, which will help to disengage your brain from the source of your stress.  All you need is some basic fishing equipment and you are ready to go. You don’t need to be an expert angler or pro fisherman to enjoy fishing – the act of connecting with nature, even if you catch nothing at all, will work it’s magic toward your stress relief.

4.  Take Some Pictures
Photography is fun and rewarding, and like fishing, you do not need to be an expert to click some pics. The only thing you need is a basic camera, and some stuff around you to provide inspiration. Just look around at your surroundings and you will find the possibilites of things that can be photographed are endless.  You could even combine other stress relieving activities, such as bowling and fishing with photography.  Be sure to look at things from the photographer’s point-of-view and you will be amazed how different things look when captured by the camera. No camera? No problem (Check out our article of Top 5 digital cameras under $100). 

5. Work It Off Physically
Exercise, both cardio and anaerobic (weight training) is an extremely healthy and effective way to manage your stress. When you’re feeling ticked off, angry, upset, anxious, and stressed out, physical activity will help relax both your mind and your body. Exercise doesn’t have to cost you a dime.  If you don’t have a gym membership, you could engage in physical activities such as walking, hiking, stretching, jogging, running, skating or riding your bicycle to release the tension. Even just ten-minute of phsycial activity can go a long way toward helping your body manage the symptoms of stress.

Bonus

6. Sex
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of engaging in sex, you’re probably well aware that sex is a great tension reliever.  But if you’ve never thought of it as a stress-relieving practice, than perhaps you should start considering its therapuetic merits.  Convince your partner of this, and you’ll likely have even more sex.  The physical benefits of sex are numerous and they work very well toward relieving your stress. Unfortunately, many people have less sex when their stress levels are high, so you might have to make a conscious effort to get busy if you’re just not feelin’ that into it.

Real men can handle the situation with an ERK

Written by Ghost Rida

So there you are, stranded on the side of the road with a busted car and no way to fix it at your immediate disposal. Suddenly, a convertible pulls up next to you and four lingerie models offer you deliverance from your precarious position. And coincidentally they’re on their way to the beach but require a man to look after their needs . . . busted car what?

Who needs to fix a busted car?

Ok, snap out of it. That will most likely never happen.

However, being broken down on the side of the road is a reality that occurs all too often, so having an Emergency Roadside Kit (ERK for those in the know) is the key to get you moving again. After you’ve turned on your hazards, and gotten out of the car, it’s time to take inventory of the solutions to your problem.

As for an ERK, there are many to choose from but only a few that get my vote:
 

1.  The NASCAR Auto Emergency Roadside Kit:

With 109 pieces, iit is the holy grail of ERK’s. This all encompassing kit will fit almost any situation you find yourself in. From setting up your our little triage center to applying duct tape around a punctured hose, this kit has it all. At a price of $66.99 it won’t break the bank either.

However if this puts too much of a dent in your wallet, then there’s the:

2.  63-Piece AAA Emergency Roadside Kit:

This 63 piece emergency "Premium Traveler" kit includes all the essentials that an ERK should, from jumper cables to flash lights and band aides this kit will keep you covered. And at a price of $44.95 $35.36 (on sale now) it’s priced perfect to fit into almost any budget.

Editor’s Note: This kit is now on sale for $35.36, and is probably the best bang for the buck.
 

A simpler yet practical kit also available from AAA is the:

3.  42-Piece Emergency Road Assistance Kit:

Available at $24.95. This kit is your basic kit for fixing flat tires, dead batteries, and your basic cuts and bruises. After all, most breakdowns are from flat tires and dead batteries.  So if you’re looking for just a basic roadside kit, then this 42 Piece is perfect for just about everyone.

So if you find yourself stuck on the side of the road, make sure you have one of these puppies stored in your trunk.

They will help get you on your way all the more sooner than having to wait for a friend or tow truck or needy lingerie models.
 

Where to Buy: Auto Parts Warehouse: Now accepting International Orders. Place your order now.