April 2012
28 posts
3 tags
On Kissing
1. Relax your mouth. It should carry the same amount of tension it does when you’re talking.
2. Be sparing with the tongue. Let it be more a suggestion than an actual presence in your partner’s mouth.
3. Practice, practice, practice.
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On First Dates, Part Three
When choosing an activity for a first date, I find it’s best to follow these rules:
1. Always have three options in mind, so you have a back-up if they don’t like your first suggestion. I like to choose one arts/cultural date (go to the museum, see a play, watch a movie), one food-based date (dinner, coffee, a drink), and one “activity” date (go to the zoo, play catch in...
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On Other People's Common Sense, Part Two
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/30-other-things-every-woman-should-know-by-30/
There’s another “30 things by 30” list kicking around, most notably at the Huffington Post. I like this one better.
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On Pudding Cups
While it is lacking in class to serve the dessert pudding in the cups it came in, it is always acceptable for each guest to lick the lid of his or her pudding cup, provided they do so in the kitchen.
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On Dates
If you are the asker, it is your responsibility to have a fully-formed proposed activity in mind for the date (and when I say “fully-formed”, I mean it had best not be “dinner sometime”, but more like “dinner at Grapefruit Moon on Tuesday”). I would recommend having at least one in mind before extending the invitation (I personally like to have three, but more...
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On Invitations
On an invitation, the initialism RSVP comes from the French répondez s’il vous plaît, which means “respond if you please”. When you receive an invitation that has an RSVP on it, you are obliged to respond, whether you can attend or not.
Sometimes an RSVP may have “Regrets Only” attached to it, in which case you are only obliged to respond if you cannot attend. If you...
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On Fancy Dress
A boutonniere will stay fresh all day if you singe the bottom of its stem.
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On Laundry
Campari comes out of bedclothes much better than you’d think it would.
On Nausea
Flat ginger ale is an excellent remedy for nausea. To make ginger ale go flat faster, stir it vigorously with a fork until all the bubbles are gone.
On Burns
If a burn isn’t too serious, you can coat it with the white of an egg instead of putting on a bandage. The egg will seal the wound, preventing it from getting dirty or infected, and will ease the pain and promote healing better than a bandage.
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On Fashion, Part Two
If you invest in one item of clothing, make it shoes. Good shoes, with care, will last you many years instead of breaking down in a matter of months like crappy ones, and are also better for your posture and your physical health. Also, crappy shoes just look crappy.
On Time
As the gentleman on the bus said to me yesterday, “There is always enough time for manners.”
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On Mascara
When dipping the brush back into the tube to get more product, make sure to insert it and use a twisting motion instead of pumping the brush in and out. Pumping the brush forces air into the tube, drying out the product faster and making it last for a shorter period of time.
Ha ha ha
Just realized that I published “On Introductions, Part Three” While Part Two was still sitting in my drafts folder.
I guess “Check what you’re posting” is also one of Pip’s Tips for today.
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On Introductions, Part Two
When introducing two or more people, it is best to include some interesting tidbits about each party in the introduction, like their hobbies, a mutual interest they share, or even how you personally know each party. It gives them a place to start their conversation from, and helps create an association in their minds that will help the introduction stick.
For example: “Jill, this is Jack. I...
On Introductions, Part Three
When you are introduced to someone, always stand up and shake their hand, no matter what the setting, no matter who they are.
As always, a firm handshake and eye contact are a must.
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On Holding Doors
1. Do it for everyone, or do it for no one.
2. Do not insist upon it if the other party seems off-put by it, or if the architecture of the building and/or the flow of traffic make it awkward or impractical.
3. Never get huffy because a person opens the door for you. There are better, more meaningful platforms for your feminist/ableist/classist agenda than a poor person who was just trying to be...
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On Other People's Common Sense →
A list of good things to know from Chelsea Fagan at Thought Catalog. Tips From Pip agrees with all of these.
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On Spring Cleaning
When storing your winter boots, stick an old, rolled-up magazine in the legs. It will help your boots keep their shape.
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On The Acquisition of Common Sense
You may be asking yourselves: How did Pip come to acquire so much common sense? Well, friends, while a large part of it comes from living a varied and examined life and promoting best practices to oneself, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that part of it is that I have read the right books.
Today I’d like to share with you the book that has shaped my romantic and sexual life for the...
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On Texting
During the weekdays:
You may not text your friends who work day jobs after 11 pm, and you may not text your friends who work night jobs before 10 am.
During the weekends:
You may not text anyone at all before noon. Only acceptable exceptions: you need to go to the hospital, you need bail, or you want to make brunch plans.
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On Blogging
Don’t blog about your exes.
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On First Dates, Part Two
You are only on a date if at least one member of the party uses the word, and it is acknowledged by both.
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On Apologies, Part Two
Don’t be sorry. Be different.
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On Transit
You always give up your seat for:
1. Families with young children or pregnant ladies
2. People with disabilities/injuries
3. The elderly
If any of these people refuse the seat, it is bad form to argue with them. Please refer to On First Dates for similar protocol.
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On Introductions
There are a number of formal rules regarding the introduction of one person to another. Generally speaking, the person of lower status is introduced to the person of higher status (“Mr. Brown, this is Jenny. Jenny is my friend from high school. Jenny, Mr. Brown is my boss”).
The rule that men should be introduced to women has now largely been dismissed as misogynist and antiquated,...
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On Lemur Husbandry
Be generous with the pineapple. Scratch them in the armpits, and they’ll follow you anywhere.
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On Schmoozing
It doesn’t work if people know you’re doing it.
