COOL OR NOT COOL: Taking A Mancation??

So, I'm over at my friend's house in the city the other night for a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathon, and after saying hello, her husband gets his winter gear on and heads out the door. As he's leaving, my friend tells him to "have fun at the clubhouse."

Ok, now I'm curious.

"WTF is the clubhouse?" I inquire.

Check it, ppl: cause the clubhouse is kind of ingenious. Her husband and 16 of his friends went in on the rental of a studio apartment on the UES (conveniently located for them all). They each pay $100/month, and the place is "furnished" with a couch, a card table and chairs, and that's it. So, they now have their own "clubhouse" to go:

• play cards
• watch sports
• watch porn
• fart
• or do whatever the fuck else they wanna do.

Apparently they had all played poker every week at their one single bro's apt and the dude *just* got married. And so, yeah: desperate times called for desperate measures.

Of course my next question was: is this where all these dudes are gonna bring the chicks they wanna bang and have affairs with? But, alas, there is no bed there.

Anyway, I think this idea is kind of amazeballs. You?

Cool Or Not Cool? Dog Training Your Kids

As Erica likes to blather on about advocate: the kid BREEDERS of Park Slope desperately need Cesar Millan to come do a training session in Prospect Park.

So, I emailed him a while back. And, shockingly, he actually responded...

People believe there’s a tone, but the tone to me has nothing to do with how high or loud or strong my voice is – it’s about understanding how I feel at that moment. The tone I use with my children may have more sound to it and be firm because we want them to hear the message, but at the same time, we need to feel loving so they hear that message too. In the dog world, we call it “calm and assertive;” in the human world it’s “loving but firm.” It’s the same thing really – remaining calm and being certain about your message.

Tone is often seen as volume. You need to know if you’re faking it or not being true to yourself – it’s how the sound makes you feel that matters. Either way, never face a situation frustrated or angry. That will set the tone and the message isn’t heard as well when it comes with anger or frustration. Dogs and children both are looking for a direction. They know they need it from you because they don’t have the answer. They want to make sure they’re part of the family, the pack. They want to know if or when they broke a boundary, so you lovingly and firmly -- with conviction – tell them to go back to the path you want them on.

The alpha dog is the one who is guiding, who knows there’s a right and wrong. A good alpha dog is there for the pack; a bad one is there for himself, in which case the outcome for the pack or family won’t be the best for everyone. This is why I talk about having a pack mentality. It’s not self-centered.

We’re not talking about the same species here! Exercise, discipline, and affection can be applied to both, but the approach is different. One is instinctual forever (dogs). And the other has instinctual, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual characteristics. A child has rationality. If you train the way we train dogs, they will be dependent on someone else’s way of life.

In my way of raising kids, I’m not asking them to follow someone’s point of view; I want them to find their own as long as they don’t harm themselves or others. I don’t want to train them to be like me – that would block their identity. So my approach is not about training the child – they get certain training in school, learning that sometimes you have to follow a protocol. But in life and being a parent – life trains you, experience shows you how to grow and be an independent person and bring out your uniqueness.

A trained, obedient dog doesn’t mean he’s balanced, and balance doesn’t equal trained. I want my children to have a life of their own – to be balanced – but to train themselves in whatever area they want to become expert. Balance is fulfilling your inherent needs. Training is fulfilling the intellectual aspect. With a dog – we might train them “sit,” “down,” “stay,” “heel,” but no dog raised on its own would teach itself to do that.

What we might see as gross behavior is them exploring the world, using their imagination. If kids are allowed to explore – to touch things, smell things, taste and feel things that are safe and healthy – finger paint, sand, water, healthy food – they satisfy the curiosity. As parents, we need to provide the ability to explore this innate need.

(Why the fuck are you asking me all these dumb ass questions, you stupid fucking broad?)

Cesar Millan (on the eve of his divorce announcement, btw)

Okay, he was a bit tetchy but, whatevs. Good advice? What say you?

COOL OR NOT COOL: Subway Track Leaners?

Are you a subway track leaner??

You know, one of those totally annoying people who's constantly leaning over the track, risking death just to see if you can spot that tiny light of the oncoming subway train allllll the way down the track before it pulls into the station??

CAUSE YOU PPL ANNOY THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME.

Espesh the leaners that come up real close to you and like to lean out right the fuck next to you...like if they're going down, you're going down with em.

NEWSFLASH: I'M STANDING BACK BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO FALL ON TO THE MOTHERFUCKING SUBWAY TRACKS, YOU DOUCHEBAG. You should do the same. Unless you wanna get your skin ripped off. OR DIE.

I vote "not cool" times a million billion.

You?

COOL OR NOT COOL: Setting Up A B & B In Your Brownstone??

There's a rather heated discussion going on over at Brownstoner regarding an allegedly illegal B&B in Park Slope. The original poster is very unhappy about this situation because as they claim, this B&B "attracts a lot of transients" to our normally quiet nabe and "blocks our street every morning for airport taxis."

I'm not sure what the hell kind of transients make reservations at bed and breakfasts, but Brownstoner ClydeFrazier had my fave response to this same inquiry:

"Oh dear, are these transients urinating on the sidewalk and committing crimes to support their drug habits?
No, but they take taxis to the airport!!!

Personally I'm not so sure what the big dealio is...doesn't everyone who wants to stay in Park Slope just go to Hotel Le Blah anyway?

COOL OR NOT COOL: Letting Your Little Boy Dress Up As Daphne From Scooby Doo?

Ok, so I really, really thought we were done with Halloween stuff, but then I saw this: 'My son is gay. Or He's Not. I Don't Care.'

It was written by a mom who's son decided he wanted to dress up as Daphne from Scooby Doo for Halloween...and she didn't see what the big whoop was, so she let him do it. Then he got made fun of by kids and parents alike at his Christian day school...like a lot.

I gotta say, I was incredibly touched by this woman's take on the whole sitch (which was basically: all you mofos need to relax, cause even if my son IS gay, who gives a shit??). I mean, as you can see, her son is pretty much rocking it the fuck out in his costume. And while I don't really spend a lot of time passing around the BREEDER love platter on this here blog, I do think she deserves a hefty helping.

Howevs.

I'm still a leetle bit confused regarding how on this motherfucking Earth she thought there was ANY chance in hell her little dude wouldn't get slayed by all his friends at school, and/or other uptight parents for his girlie costume. I mean, I think its INSANITY that they all acted like they did, but also it wasn't exactly a shocker to me to hear that they freaked.

Anyway, what do you gays guyz think? Cool or not cool?