Latest news with #Doritos
Wall Street Journal
11 hours ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Dealing with Lots of Messy Young Houseguests? Consider a Chore Doc.
Ahh, the sounds of summer: a cannonball ka-plunk in the pool, a whoosh down a slip and slide on the lawn. But when your kids and their guests move inside this season, it's not a pretty sight. There's more chaos in our homes now than at any other time of the year. They'll scatter explosions of Doritos bigger than any splash in the water. Young visitors aren't always helpful. Ever hear a hollow 'Lemme know what I can doooooooo?' from a teen or 20-something? The last part trails off as they run to the pool, leaving behind wet towels limper than their offer to pitch in.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Diary of a Gen Z Student: I'm just naturally this pale — and fake tan is more effort than it's worth
A few months ago, I got a tetanus vaccine booster. Afterwards, the nice lady who gave me the vaccine asked me to stay seated in the waiting room for a little longer than usual. She said I looked 'a little too pale'. She was concerned I might faint. Now, I was feeling perfectly fine and tried to protest this precaution. 'I'm always this pale', I offered, but she wasn't convinced. So, I was sat down and given a glass of water. Twenty minutes later, when the lady relented to my naturally pale disposition, I was free to go. This isn't the first time people have expressed concern for my health, due to the evident lack of melanin in my skin. As a teen, my concerned mother considered anaemia or lack of sleep. But iron supplements and sleep routines did little to improve things. In Ireland, being too pale isn't usually considered a good thing. We think paleness looks like poor health. But we've come up with the perfect solution: it may smell like chicken curry mixed with Custard Cream biscuits, and it may turn your skin more tangerine than sun-kissed, but fake tan is a part of our culture — like Guinness, and being shouted at for leaving the immersion on. From the age of 12, most girls in Ireland start to wear fake tan. At first, they're lashing the tan on the night before a disco in the local GAA. Then it becomes more routine. Every week, you might put on a fresh layer. You'll be told that it looks like you just stuck your hand into a packet of cheese-flavoured Doritos, but it's better than being told you look like you've got an iron deficiency. Every year, we go months on end without seeing a clear sky in Ireland. But by God, we don't want to look like it. Even if it was just for the ankles poking out the bottom of your school trousers, the status quo meant that those ankles needed to have a suggestion of sun exposure, at the very least. It didn't matter if it was January. The problem with fake tan for me is always the amount of effort it demands. Exfoliating, shaving, moisturising, and applying the tan. And then a few days later, you need to start scrubbing the tan off, before it begins to resemble scales on your knees and elbows. Oh, the things we do for beauty. I never particularly enjoyed the process, so, for most of my teens, it was only out of obligation that I wore it. I couldn't fathom going to a junior disco with my milk-bottle legs glowing in the dark. I wasn't prepared to be the only one going au natural. Being tanned was an obsession. When I first visited a country that didn't idealise tanned skin, it was honestly surprising to me. I was trying to buy soap in the Philippines and noticed that all of the soaps advertised their 'skin-lightening' properties. Of course, in many countries, the idealisation of paleness is a terrible relic of colonialism. But seeing those 'skin-lightening' products lined up on the shelves of a shop, cemented my previous understanding of beauty as something that is constructed. Over the past few years, I've sort of let go of the idea of having tanned skin. It could be my frontal lobe developing, but I'm just not bothered by being pale anymore — especially if it means I can avoid routinely dying my bed sheets orange. Maybe I've lost patience for the tyranny of exfoliating and moisturising and exfoliating again. But I've laid down my tanning mitt. I haven't touched a bottle of tan for years now. My tanning breakup was unintentional, really, I just stopped worrying about being the one with the light-reflecting legs on a night out. I was able to see fake tan as a product invented by people who wanted to make money, not a necessity for beauty. Being told my pale skin makes me look a bit unwell by the kind lady giving me a vaccine may have been a low blow a few years ago, but now I've got this column to channel my frustrations into. And that vaccine was certainly helpful, while I was thinking about how to discuss my rocky relationship with fake tan as a pale and pasty Irish girl. Maybe I look like I'm lacking in vitality and sun exposure. But at least it has been a few years since I was last told that my hand looks like it was rooting around a bag of Cheese Doritos. A win is a win. Read More Gen Z Student: Knowing my own essays will be graded against the work of AI is disheartening
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Thread Performance review: Going from dad bod to Father Figure
As I get older, I can relate much more with the non-Frank Thomas characters in all those Frank Thomas commercials. I'm a dad in my 40s. Fitness is no longer a side effect but something that has to be planned. Gravity appears to have found an extra gear. Things are slower. Weight that comes on, stays on. This was has been on full display the past two NFL seasons. The rigors of coverage lend to stress eating and limited gym time. Factor in Wisconsin winters and right around the Super Bowl is when my weight peaks each year. The theory of my fitness is an easy one. Do I want to feel good in a bad way (powering through a full bag of Doritos and drinking six beers on a Saturday)? Do I want to feel bad in a good way (sore and eating chicken, beans and rice most nights)? I'm never going to live one way without the other for more than a little while, but I can lean toward the latter in long stretches to keep my body from falling into disrepair. Thus, spring turns into a rebuilding mode. This year, I had help. Thread Performance sent along a 30-day Performance Bundle consisting of its Daily Fuel, Edge and Strength supplements -- a combination of proteins and nutrients that, combined with a return to the weights and trails, promised at least a slightly less disappointing body. 2XU sent along some compression tights for running and other workouts as Madison slowly emerged from its winter slumber. The goal was simple. Six days of supplements per week. Six workouts -- three weights, three cardio -- per week for five weeks. All the while, I'd be eating more responsibly, but not cutting out the easiest shortcut to losing my unwanted gut. Giving up beers (and other alcohol) would shed probably 1,000-plus calories from my weekly budget. But this was the home stretch of college basketball season and my desire to crush beers (reasonably and responsibly) while Vanderbilt crashed out of the NCAA Tournament was more appealing than dropping a few extra pounds in that month-plus. I started this journey at 171.5 pounds. My body fat, per a not-especially-reliable scale, was about 23.1 percent. Ideally I'd like to get that down to 160 and 18, but that's more work than I'm willing to put in. For five weeks I'd be happy with a modest drop in either category. I thought about taking a before/after photo here for you, then decided that would be weird. The pack has everything I need for a month of muscle building, fat-shrinking prosperity. Thirty individual packets of Daily Fuel, a vanilla-flavored protein powder (21 grams) with "25 organic superfoods" that promises vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Sixty capsules of Daily Strength, a patented "muscle accelerator blend" called RIPFACTOR that I cannot say without sounding like I'm about to tell you about an upcoming monster truck show (it contains 500 mg of organic beet root powder, as well). Thirty capsules of Daily Edge, which is mostly minerals (iron, zinc, copper) mixed with another beet root base. I... have concerns. But I am also out of shape and lacking motivation. Let's jump in. I'm adding this to my typical morning routine. I start with four glasses of cold water before making coffee. I typically add a scoop of protein powder to that and, three times a week, a scoop of creatine powder. Aside from multivitamins, that's pretty much the scope of my supplement intake. The powder smells appealing. The vanilla is clean and sweet. There's just enough flax to give off a mild granola bar vibe. I mix it with some two percent milk and a little Splenda as well, because despite the fact I have been drinking coffee for the last decade, I am still, decidedly, bad at it. A few slightly concerning bright red dots float to the surface of my coffee foam. Huh. There's a minor grittiness to the taste but ultimately it's sweet and just a little bit like a dessert-style trail mix. That's a compliment. It's a proper vanilla that works well with a regular cup of coffee (in this case, the tail end of a bag of Death Wish). Around 2:30, I slugged back the three capsules of Daily Edge and Strength to accompany my late lunch. The capsules are sealed but still manage to taste the way food at a petting zoo smells. My post-fuel workout went roughly as expected. Slightly energizing while being uniquely bad and simultaneously exhausting since I'm coming off a cold and have barely done anything active the last two weeks. The workout, for reference: shoulder raises curls deadlifts bench press back rows ... with some random stuff thrown in depending on how I'm feeling. Turkish getups? Hate it, but sure. Ball slams? Kettlebell swings? Whatever. I'm just trying to look good (and not screw up my knees/back any more than they already are in the process). Day 2 is a run day -- nothing significant, just a mile because my cardio is a big pile of garbage at this point. I've got my 2X tights on a 45 degree day. These are, well, snug. I'd show you a picture, but again, feels weird. However, they do a solid job keeping me warm and, importantly, helping ward off the calf strains that derail my running progress a couple times per year. Let's talk about that real quick: The compression makes the Light Speed tights a bit difficult to get on, but that's expected. The gold markings look good on the black and there's a small, zippered pocket for a house key or some cash, which is a nice utilitarian touch. The compression does make me feel a bit energized for this run, though that's more a placebo effect than anything. Plus, going from 10 percent ready to work out to 15 is a 50 percent bump, just not in a way anyone really cares about. I'm wearing shorts over them because I would prefer not to subject my neighbors to a full tour of my Hank Hill body. But 2XU does a good job in that department as well -- these are snug, but not entirely form-fitting. I'm also wearing them down over my ankles and socks to cover my heel; I'm not sure if that's how you're supposed to do it, but it's how I've been wearing tights since high school. These did a bang-up job of keeping me warm. Almost too warm; I've got a decent lather going. Importantly, my biggest concern -- reaggravating the calf strain that had me give up running last spring -- didn't play a role. While the tights sagged a bit (possibly by being pushed down by my Wisconsin winter gut (tm)) and there was some minor early discomfort in my left heel and where the bottom of the tights met the top of my foot, things felt pretty good. Er, as good as they could feel as I struggled through a 10 minute mile. I will admit, it did feel like there was an extra spring in my step after I stopped at one mile, walked a bit, then ran the last block home. Though the heaviness in my legs persisted, I do think an unpleasant workout was made a bit better by the tights. Even my post-run stretching felt a bit more rewarding. The real test came two days after. I'm moderately sore but not in a bad way; heavy quads, slightly tight calves but nothing that would stop me from running again. I'm not gonna do that until I get another 40-plus degree day, but it's nice to know. I do think I feel better than I normally would. The Power Recovery tights are a significantly better fit for long-range cardio. My feet are more comfortable thanks to a stirrup leg. The waist doesn't sag as much. The compression around my calves fend off the cramps and strains that ruin my summer attempts to get my mileage up. There's a bit of a concern for other bending/twisting workouts -- churning out burpees with these did bring the sagging issue back to the forefront -- they perform as advertised. These do seem to have more of a positive effect on my performance than the Light Speed. That performance still is not great, but I feel like it's better than it would have been otherwise. That's all I can ask for. OK, back to Thread. While it's unlikely I'm getting much from the supplements 30 hours into the process, I will say this run was better than a late January attempt. I feel terrible, sure, but I'm not outwardly considering collapse as a do a post-run stretch. Progress! But still, these capsules smell terrible. The packaging ensures me I can break them apart and eat them that way if I prefer. I do not. There is one noticeable downside. My arms are cramping throughout my post-run stretch despite being hydrated out the wazoo. Is that a supplement problem or just the fact I'm 41? It's creating a lot of sharp winces that have my daughter concerned. Don't worry sweetheart, dad is just paying for treating his body like the trash can at a minor league baseball game for the past three months. Week 2, with more alternating between runs and lifting and an occasional cross training day, is derailed by a cold. Nothing too bad, but enough to cost me a couple days of work. By the time I'm back at the weights it feels like whatever I gained last week is gone and I'm exhausted again. The hope is this is just the lingering remnants of whatever turned my sinuses into a bog. The good news is the week's runs go longer and faster than I'd planned. Not long or fast, mind you, but better than expected after four days without cardio. Maybe the extra rest helped, but I'd be open to chalking this extra gas tank up to a cleaner diet. The cramping that arrived earlier has quieted to a dull ache (and some signs of tennis elbow). Week 3 sees some fatigue set in. It's also a six workout week -- three runs, two days of weights and one day with some plyometrics and some basic lifting. My legs are tired, but flipping from dead lifts to running two-plus miles without feeling heavy, which is a welcome change. I also drank less this week, dropping my weight down to 167 pounds. My body fat rose slightly, but I don't trust an old Fitbit scale to be accurate there. More importantly, I feel like I look better and, despite the tired arms/legs and general soreness, feel pretty good. By Week 4 I'm down to 166 pounds (but my body fat is up to 24.1 percent. Scale!). The biggest improvement I've seen -- something that hasn't been a part of my normal protein/creatine combo -- has been the recovery in my legs. Normally swapping deadlifts/squats/cross training and runs would leave them heavy and tired. But I was able to get into 5K shape while deadlifting more than I have in a decade (or possibly ever) without feeling too bad. That's extremely helpful, even if it's just a tipping point to keep me from ditching my workout plan three days into the week. Thread's biggest benefit is its recovery. It didn't do the work for me, but it gave me the gas tank to get it done myself. In five weeks I went from not being able to run a mile to knocking out four-plus with minimal issue. That's not especially impressive, but I did it while only running twice per week, on average -- and with leg-tiring dead lifts in between. By the end of five weeks, I've dipped from 171 pounds to 165. Did I get sick almost immediately afterwards, spend a full month battling my own body's unparalleled mucus production and lose a significant chunk of that progress? Absolutely. That meant it took a while to test my Thread Performance outcomes against my typical protein/creatine combo. By June I was back to normal(ish) and back on my schedule. I do feel a noticeable recovery and cardio difference now that I'm off Thread's supplements. Notably, the leg fatigue is back and my cardio isn't responding the way I'd hoped. It's not bad -- again, lots of this is because my body is simply naturally getting worse because time is a thief that robs us all -- but it's undeniably worse. Thus, I think it's a reasonable conclusion that Thread Performance helped me get through my workouts and available for the next one. The 2XU tights, as difficult to get on as they were, were a positive influence that aided in the recovery while serving a utilitarian purpose in a cold spring. If I were serious enough to go through this schedule without drinking, the results would have undoubtedly been better, but I'm still pretty happy with six pounds in five weeks while building up my cardio and strength. Will it work for you? No idea! This is just an anecdotal review of how I felt better working out with these supplements than I do without them. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Thread Performance review: Workouts helped my dad bod
USA Today
3 days ago
- Health
- USA Today
Thread Performance review: Going from dad bod to Father Figure
As I get older, I can relate much more with the non-Frank Thomas characters in all those Frank Thomas commercials. I'm a dad in my 40s. Fitness is no longer a side effect but something that has to be planned. Gravity appears to have found an extra gear. Things are slower. Weight that comes on, stays on. This was has been on full display the past two NFL seasons. The rigors of coverage lend to stress eating and limited gym time. Factor in Wisconsin winters and right around the Super Bowl is when my weight peaks each year. The theory of my fitness is an easy one. Do I want to feel good in a bad way (powering through a full bag of Doritos and drinking six beers on a Saturday)? Do I want to feel bad in a good way (sore and eating chicken, beans and rice most nights)? I'm never going to live one way without the other for more than a little while, but I can lean toward the latter in long stretches to keep my body from falling into disrepair. Thus, spring turns into a rebuilding mode. This year, I had help. Thread Performance sent along a 30-day Performance Bundle consisting of its Daily Fuel, Edge and Strength supplements -- a combination of proteins and nutrients that, combined with a return to the weights and trails, promised at least a slightly less disappointing body. 2XU sent along some compression tights for running and other workouts as Madison slowly emerged from its winter slumber. The goal was simple. Six days of supplements per week. Six workouts -- three weights, three cardio -- per week for five weeks. All the while, I'd be eating more responsibly, but not cutting out the easiest shortcut to losing my unwanted gut. Giving up beers (and other alcohol) would shed probably 1,000-plus calories from my weekly budget. But this was the home stretch of college basketball season and my desire to crush beers (reasonably and responsibly) while Vanderbilt crashed out of the NCAA Tournament was more appealing than dropping a few extra pounds in that month-plus. I started this journey at 171.5 pounds. My body fat, per a not-especially-reliable scale, was about 23.1 percent. Ideally I'd like to get that down to 160 and 18, but that's more work than I'm willing to put in. For five weeks I'd be happy with a modest drop in either category. I thought about taking a before/after photo here for you, then decided that would be weird. The pack has everything I need for a month of muscle building, fat-shrinking prosperity. Thirty individual packets of Daily Fuel, a vanilla-flavored protein powder (21 grams) with "25 organic superfoods" that promises vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Sixty capsules of Daily Strength, a patented "muscle accelerator blend" called RIPFACTOR that I cannot say without sounding like I'm about to tell you about an upcoming monster truck show (it contains 500 mg of organic beet root powder, as well). Thirty capsules of Daily Edge, which is mostly minerals (iron, zinc, copper) mixed with another beet root base. I... have concerns. But I am also out of shape and lacking motivation. Let's jump in. Daily Fuel (vanilla): B+ I'm adding this to my typical morning routine. I start with four glasses of cold water before making coffee. I typically add a scoop of protein powder to that and, three times a week, a scoop of creatine powder. Aside from multivitamins, that's pretty much the scope of my supplement intake. The powder smells appealing. The vanilla is clean and sweet. There's just enough flax to give off a mild granola bar vibe. I mix it with some two percent milk and a little Splenda as well, because despite the fact I have been drinking coffee for the last decade, I am still, decidedly, bad at it. A few slightly concerning bright red dots float to the surface of my coffee foam. Huh. There's a minor grittiness to the taste but ultimately it's sweet and just a little bit like a dessert-style trail mix. That's a compliment. It's a proper vanilla that works well with a regular cup of coffee (in this case, the tail end of a bag of Death Wish). Around 2:30, I slugged back the three capsules of Daily Edge and Strength to accompany my late lunch. The capsules are sealed but still manage to taste the way food at a petting zoo smells. My post-fuel workout went roughly as expected. Slightly energizing while being uniquely bad and simultaneously exhausting since I'm coming off a cold and have barely done anything active the last two weeks. The workout, for reference: ... with some random stuff thrown in depending on how I'm feeling. Turkish getups? Hate it, but sure. Ball slams? Kettlebell swings? Whatever. I'm just trying to look good (and not screw up my knees/back any more than they already are in the process). Day 2 is a run day -- nothing significant, just a mile because my cardio is a big pile of garbage at this point. I've got my 2X tights on a 45 degree day. These are, well, snug. I'd show you a picture, but again, feels weird. However, they do a solid job keeping me warm and, importantly, helping ward off the calf strains that derail my running progress a couple times per year. Let's talk about that real quick: 2XU Compression Tights: B+ The compression makes the Light Speed tights a bit difficult to get on, but that's expected. The gold markings look good on the black and there's a small, zippered pocket for a house key or some cash, which is a nice utilitarian touch. The compression does make me feel a bit energized for this run, though that's more a placebo effect than anything. Plus, going from 10 percent ready to work out to 15 is a 50 percent bump, just not in a way anyone really cares about. I'm wearing shorts over them because I would prefer not to subject my neighbors to a full tour of my Hank Hill body. But 2XU does a good job in that department as well -- these are snug, but not entirely form-fitting. I'm also wearing them down over my ankles and socks to cover my heel; I'm not sure if that's how you're supposed to do it, but it's how I've been wearing tights since high school. These did a bang-up job of keeping me warm. Almost too warm; I've got a decent lather going. Importantly, my biggest concern -- reaggravating the calf strain that had me give up running last spring -- didn't play a role. While the tights sagged a bit (possibly by being pushed down by my Wisconsin winter gut (tm)) and there was some minor early discomfort in my left heel and where the bottom of the tights met the top of my foot, things felt pretty good. Er, as good as they could feel as I struggled through a 10 minute mile. I will admit, it did feel like there was an extra spring in my step after I stopped at one mile, walked a bit, then ran the last block home. Though the heaviness in my legs persisted, I do think an unpleasant workout was made a bit better by the tights. Even my post-run stretching felt a bit more rewarding. The real test came two days after. I'm moderately sore but not in a bad way; heavy quads, slightly tight calves but nothing that would stop me from running again. I'm not gonna do that until I get another 40-plus degree day, but it's nice to know. I do think I feel better than I normally would. The Power Recovery tights are a significantly better fit for long-range cardio. My feet are more comfortable thanks to a stirrup leg. The waist doesn't sag as much. The compression around my calves fend off the cramps and strains that ruin my summer attempts to get my mileage up. There's a bit of a concern for other bending/twisting workouts -- churning out burpees with these did bring the sagging issue back to the forefront -- they perform as advertised. These do seem to have more of a positive effect on my performance than the Light Speed. That performance still is not great, but I feel like it's better than it would have been otherwise. That's all I can ask for. OK, back to Thread. While it's unlikely I'm getting much from the supplements 30 hours into the process, I will say this run was better than a late January attempt. I feel terrible, sure, but I'm not outwardly considering collapse as a do a post-run stretch. Progress! But still, these capsules smell terrible. The packaging ensures me I can break them apart and eat them that way if I prefer. I do not. There is one noticeable downside. My arms are cramping throughout my post-run stretch despite being hydrated out the wazoo. Is that a supplement problem or just the fact I'm 41? It's creating a lot of sharp winces that have my daughter concerned. Don't worry sweetheart, dad is just paying for treating his body like the trash can at a minor league baseball game for the past three months. Week 2, with more alternating between runs and lifting and an occasional cross training day, is derailed by a cold. Nothing too bad, but enough to cost me a couple days of work. By the time I'm back at the weights it feels like whatever I gained last week is gone and I'm exhausted again. The hope is this is just the lingering remnants of whatever turned my sinuses into a bog. The good news is the week's runs go longer and faster than I'd planned. Not long or fast, mind you, but better than expected after four days without cardio. Maybe the extra rest helped, but I'd be open to chalking this extra gas tank up to a cleaner diet. The cramping that arrived earlier has quieted to a dull ache (and some signs of tennis elbow). Week 3 sees some fatigue set in. It's also a six workout week -- three runs, two days of weights and one day with some plyometrics and some basic lifting. My legs are tired, but flipping from dead lifts to running two-plus miles without feeling heavy, which is a welcome change. I also drank less this week, dropping my weight down to 167 pounds. My body fat rose slightly, but I don't trust an old Fitbit scale to be accurate there. More importantly, I feel like I look better and, despite the tired arms/legs and general soreness, feel pretty good. By Week 4 I'm down to 166 pounds (but my body fat is up to 24.1 percent. Scale!). The biggest improvement I've seen -- something that hasn't been a part of my normal protein/creatine combo -- has been the recovery in my legs. Normally swapping deadlifts/squats/cross training and runs would leave them heavy and tired. But I was able to get into 5K shape while deadlifting more than I have in a decade (or possibly ever) without feeling too bad. That's extremely helpful, even if it's just a tipping point to keep me from ditching my workout plan three days into the week. Thread's biggest benefit is its recovery. It didn't do the work for me, but it gave me the gas tank to get it done myself. In five weeks I went from not being able to run a mile to knocking out four-plus with minimal issue. That's not especially impressive, but I did it while only running twice per week, on average -- and with leg-tiring dead lifts in between. By the end of five weeks, I've dipped from 171 pounds to 165. Did I get sick almost immediately afterwards, spend a full month battling my own body's unparalleled mucus production and lose a significant chunk of that progress? Absolutely. That meant it took a while to test my Thread Performance outcomes against my typical protein/creatine combo. By June I was back to normal(ish) and back on my schedule. I do feel a noticeable recovery and cardio difference now that I'm off Thread's supplements. Notably, the leg fatigue is back and my cardio isn't responding the way I'd hoped. It's not bad -- again, lots of this is because my body is simply naturally getting worse because time is a thief that robs us all -- but it's undeniably worse. Thus, I think it's a reasonable conclusion that Thread Performance helped me get through my workouts and available for the next one. The 2XU tights, as difficult to get on as they were, were a positive influence that aided in the recovery while serving a utilitarian purpose in a cold spring. If I were serious enough to go through this schedule without drinking, the results would have undoubtedly been better, but I'm still pretty happy with six pounds in five weeks while building up my cardio and strength. Will it work for you? No idea! This is just an anecdotal review of how I felt better working out with these supplements than I do without them.
Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
13 Habits Men Do Alone At Home
Some people consider it a true luxury to have alone time at home, especially if they have a family to care for. So we asked the married men of the BuzzFeed Community, "What's the first thing you do when your family leaves the house, and you're finally by yourself?" Here's what they had to say: "Make a disgustingly huge meal, pop those pants off, and read in complete silence." —Anonymous, 36, Boston "Lounge around naked. Before I got married and had kids, I was basically an at-home nudist. It's comfortable, involves less laundry, and is better for the skin. We're fairly casual with nudity at home now, but not just sitting around or doing everything naked. I miss that feeling of freedom." "Binge-watch my shows (automotive, survival, construction, etc). Take a bath, relax, and do some R&R." —Anonymous, 38, Utah "My wife has this wildly strong aversion to meat on the bone, and the sound of crunching and chewing. So, if she goes out for the evening, then it's a wings and Doritos night for me. I can eat in peace without her being bothered or complaining about the crunching of chips. That and watching old cartoons from the '80s and '90s." "Honestly, I dance around and sing at the top of my voice. Secondly, have some 'private' time." —Anonymous, 39, Edinburgh "Xbox. I know it seems obvious, but just being able to play for hours at a time and not miss the cut scenes that advance the story in the game is bliss." "I would go to the beach during the day, then buy a bunch of frozen pizzas, ice cream, fudge, rent (before streaming) all the movies I wanted to watch, and make a strong cocktail. Usually, her dog would clean up the leftovers. We promised never to tell. Oh, it was heaven." —Anonymous, 54, California "I like to slip slowly into a comatose state, doing minimally as possible for survival until about the last hour of freedom, where I do all the cleaning and house projects until my wife gets home." "I make lamb chops or steak — because my wife doesn't like them — sit out on the back porch, smoke a cigar (she doesn't like the smell), listen to music loudly (she says it hurts her ears), and hope she doesn't come home early." —Anonymous, 58, Pennsylvania "Get stoned and watch the most violent, curse word-filled movie with the surround sound on full blast!" "If my better half is leaving for a work trip or a few hours, I'll usually cook something she doesn't enjoy and pour a wee dram or three of Scotch. Normally, our dog isn't permitted on the sofa when we're eating, but I look the other way. Sitting on the sofa, dog's head on my lap while watching a game or a movie I enjoy is probably boring, but I'm happy. If it's a multi-day trip, I'll try to tackle a couple of small projects around the house." —Anonymous, 55, Washington DC "I usually tidy up the house a bit first, just so I don't have to look at a mess and so the wife will be happy when she gets back. Then I plan my meals, shooting for trying places the wife and kids wouldn't want to try. Then I usually plan a few activities they wouldn't want to do, like visiting a new brewery or seeing what sort of live music events might be happening in the evenings. Once all of that is planned, I fill the rest of the time playing video games, watching shows or movies they wouldn't want to watch, reading, or napping." "Having time ALONE that isn't more than just a few hours is a luxury I don't get to experience often anymore. I love my partner, but thanks to our work schedules, we're rarely apart aside from when we're at work. So when she goes away for the weekend for whatever reason, I RELISH the opportunity. But in reality, I don't actually do much different than I usually do — the big difference is that I can do it in COMPLETE SILENCE. Not talking to each other is NOT the same thing as being alone." "I can read or watch whatever I want without feeling guilty about not talking, I can eat whatever I want without having to consider what she's in the mood for, I can work on projects on my own time, or I can just play video games for hours on end! Or, I could watch movies or TV shows that I haven't finished or started yet, which I don't usually do if I know she's not gonna be into it. And, of course, I might have to run errands, but I can do it on my own time in SILENCE. It's very important to me to have someone who respects that I NEED space every once in a while, and she does. In fact, I worry about people who CAN'T be away from their partner for long, if at all. The best advice I can give is to make sure you're with someone who respects when you need personal space or isn't worried about leaving you alone for a few days. In my opinion, it's unhealthy otherwise. I've been in relationships before where I can't even go home for the holidays without being accused of cheating while I'm away! What kind of crap is that? (Not discrediting people who have actually been cheated on a bunch, but if you're worried your partner is out cheating, maybe you should get a new one. Just saying.) And for when she gets back, I'll usually get some steaks a few days ahead of time so we have something to cook easily, and she'll love coming home to that."—Anonymous, 31, Michigan Men, do you have a certain ritual that you do when you're home alone? Tell us what happens in the comments below:
