Diddy Lays It Down - 10 Tips for New Year's Eve

A great pair of shades.

Foods that don't interrupt your swagger.

Ciroc.

Yes, all the makings of a dopefresh New Year's Eve, that in the Word & Verse According to P. Diddy. The man himself has issued a list, and how it began circulating I know not, but I think it's pretty amazing that Diddy's sitting around thinking, "Wow, I am so busy with my music, my endorsements, and my general coolness.... Yet, I am compelled to stop for a moment now to reflect on the essential things an Everyman must know to celebrate New Year's Eve in high style. Diddy-style." And once he checked his list, twice, how does one get such information disseminated? That is not for us to know, friend. We are just plain men, and He is Diddy.

Well, it has made it on the internet, thank God for Al Gore, and I am henceforth sharing it with you humble reader. We could all use a dopefresh New Year's Eve, Diddy-style.

10. Your party spot has to set the tone for the night... It creates the
blueprint for the entire evening.

9. A great bartender... Bad drinks aren't sexy... Also beautiful wait-staff are key...

8. Food should never interrupt your swagger... Small tapas or finger foods
that aren't too messy tend to work well.

7. Music should be the soundtrack to the night... It should match the
theme... It should match the flow.

6. Preserve the sexy... My oldest and truest party rule. If it's about furs
and diamonds, don't show up in jeans.

5. The right party people... Your tried-and-true friends that know how to
get your party started mixed with a few new characters to keep things
exciting... but everyone has to be sexy.

4. You need a great pair of shades... Because the best New Year's Eve party
doesn't stop until well into the New Year.

3. You need a great host... Like me... Someone who is a master in the art
of celebration.

2. Ciroc... The world's best ultra-premium vodka... Enough said.

1. It's never sexy to be sloppy... know your limits and drink
responsibly.

From a bunch of places online, including ballerstatus.com

Why I'm Afraid to Hang With Shinn & Tim

Go ahead ask, "What the hell am I looking at here?" This is the scene from Katmandu after Winter Wonder Jam on Saturday... Timmy lost a bet and his punishment, having the brand new PST T-Shirt Cannon aimed at his special parts.

5 Tips to Loving your Job (and scoring bday cake in the process)

from Careerbuilder.com


... but I'll put them in my own words, so just bear with my spin on this.

1. Stay away from negative people. Word. Seriously, it's so easy to get caught up into bitching about something, but sometimes without even noticing, the getting-stuff-off-your-chest can morph into general moaning & groaning about the company, other co-workers, life in general. It can be quite a drag! And next thing you know, you're hatin' the job, the boss, and the UPS guy!!
Here's what Toni Ryans Says... Negative People at work are like poison. I know, it sounds drastic, but it's true. Even when you're feeling crappy one day, a negative person can really just inadvertently spoil that temporary feeling of job-ickiness. At all costs, I say, watch who you vent to, especially if you're just venting and not trying to instigate a workplace coup.

2. Send out the compliment boomerang. And for heaven's sake, don't be coy about it! Y'know for the longest time, I used to do my best patting other people on the back as often as possible, even for nonsense. ("Oh, what a marvelous job you did sharpening all those pencils!") . But then I'd be so frustrated because I knew how hard I was working, and how late I'd be staying, and all without any acknowledgement from The Boss. And I'd be like, WTF! Can't someone mention about how terrible I look with the bags under my eyes today because of how late I stayed the night before?! Sometimes the compliment boomerang pays off, and it comes right back at you. But let's pretend the compliment boomerang is occasionally faulty, so don't count on it.
Toot your own horn. Yeah, I know, it's weird, probably feels impossible to do, but let's face it, if management doesn't know how you're doing it, it's nobody else's responsibility to let them know, it's all on you. And I'm not talking about an itemized blow-by-blow detailed account of your day, but if someone says, "Wow, that looks like it was a lot of work," don't try to diffuse it with a humble, "Nah, it was no biggie." Just honestly say, "Yes, actually it was a lot of work, but I'm really proud of my work." (And if this doesn't come easily to you, no worries. Eleven years out of college, and I'm still trying to stop acting like some unworthy intern)

3. Make friends. 2000 hours a year, that's about how many you spend at the office. If you haven't made any friends, than you truly are some anti-social SOB. Haa, kidding. I'm not talking about finding the yin to your yang or some magical soul mate. I mean, make your mama proud and be friendly, polite, and courteous. Somewhere in all that innocuous daily chit-chat, you'll find that you have people you count as "friends".
The upshot is when you've got pals at work, ever notice the day goes faster? Plus it's MUCH easier making small talk with friends than it is with people you're trying hard to not get close to. If you've got some grievance about work you just want to air, it's easier to talk it off with a friend, and in the long run, getting stuff off your chest is much more than letting it fester ('coz then you'll turn into a Negative Person, and you don't wanna be that person!!!)

4. Give gifts. OK, I'll be honest with you. I don't know what this means. They say little trinkets to other co-workers. I guess as little suck-up gifts instead of becoming actual friends with a person (as directed in the previous item). I really don't get this one.
Let me put it this way, spare the gift. Only give it if you're certain the gift boommerang is comin' back atcha. (What? It's not mean! Really! I don't get this one!)


5. Be nice to other people. So this is just basically an extention of Rules 1-4, I guess to cover everyone else who isn't already your friend, receives compliments from you without reciprocating, someone you suck up to with desk garbage, or the meanest person at work. Be nice to everyone else, is what this should really say. If you can't figure out why, then you clearly didn't watch enough After-School specials as a kid.
And since I'm on a boomerang-analogy kick, let's just call this one the niceness boomerang. Wait, Boomerang of Nice sounds much better. When you're nice to people, they're gonna be nice back to you (or at least the normal people and the heavily medicated will be nice to you). When you're an a-hole, I find people are less likely to be nice to you off the bat.

And see, it all comes down to this, my litmus test for liking your job: Birthday Cake. When your birthday rolls around, are you gonna get any? And it's not about liking birthday cake, or liking being the center of attention, it's about whether or not other people will bother. And seriously, nobody will if they think you're a jerk, or worse, a jerk who hates their job.

Of course, expecting Birthday Cake, or having a celebration for you, as always requires a little bit of campaigning on your part. Don't expect Birthday Cake to appear if you've been so secretive about when your birthday is. You gotta let people know! And that's a piece of cake (yes, intended pun) when you've got friends in the office (#3), or when you give random gifts (#4), or when you are generally nice to others (#5). People naturally wanna do something nice right back (yes, like a boomerang) and sometimes the easiest way to do that is by making sure they remember ... say it with me... your birthday!

So there it is. If you get Birthday Cake, chances are your job likes you, and likewise, you like your job.



Now make a wish damnit!

Of course! Kitty Litter to the rescue, and more!

I love a good tip. Like a clever "handy tip" you find in those quickie blurbs in magazines. I pretty much love hearing tips on any subject, health & beauty, money, cooking, sports even! Short-cuts or clever ways to get around things always seem to appeal to me, like "Look! We got one over the system! YESSSS!"
So big thanks to Newman, who left the latest issue of Budget Travel laying around the studio... they have this regular feature of 20 Tips, and there were some pretty cool finds in there....

10. Drier goods The next time you accidentally leave your cell phone in your pocket when you wash your pants or soak your iPod while you're jogging in the rain, don't open, start, or plug in the gadget. Instead, bury it in gel-type kitty litter for 24 hours. The litter will absorb all of the moisture and dry out the device. Barbara Dunn-Alfinito, Fishkill, N.Y. "

HULLO?! Love it! How 'bout this other gem:

16. Finders beepers An audible electronic key finder--the kind that emits a loud beep or a ring when activated--can be a godsend when you travel. Keep the small remote locator on you, and put the receiver disc in your luggage, handbag, camera case, etc. You can press the locator button to help thwart a thief trying to steal your bag. And, of course, the device can help you find your keys. James Pennington, Portland, Ore."

Hah! Now no more shame over such gadgets on QVC. Not like a little beeping is gonna freak out would-be thief, but frankly if I were purse-snatcher, random beeping would immediately make me think I'd nabbed an exploding handbag.

So if you've got handy tips, send 'em along, I love learning new ones as much as I love passing them along to you.

And don't just send to me! The folks at Budget Travel would love to hear them too: if they publish one, you'll score a free year- subscription to the mag.

And that's my handy tip to you.

I love my hair

If you care anything at all for your hair --- and one not-long-ago super-short do truly taught me just how goshdarn vain about my locks that I am -- then you will indulge me and my brief list on How To Ensure You Will Always Have Awesome Hair.

Now disclaimer goes here. No waxing lyrical on the merits of great shampoo. Not this round. This is about the investment known as Awesome Hair, and that all hinges on one very important catalyst: finding an Awesome Stylist.

I have one, and so here goes my little list:

1) Find someone good. I know this goes without saying. Maybe your personal rule is the old standby, about finding someone who's got hair you like. Pssssh. It's a nice rule, it seems like it should obviously make sense. But look, if you're not choosing that stylist over yonder bc he/she is sporting some 'do that you're cringing at, maybe you are overlooking a seasoned pro who has had practice with different cuts and different colors -- and the proof of their efforts is staring you in the face!!! Besides, what makes you think that you're even worthy of the choppy spiky green and turquoise confection they've sculpted on their own head?!

Case in point. My Hairstylist Robyn. She has been doing my hair for more than ten years. Where I'm somewhat conservative and rigid, she is so not anything like that. Everytime I come in to see her, it always takes me a few moments to figure out where she is - her hair is different every time. Color, style, length, etc. And then I boldly announce, "Robyn, I want to do something really different today. Brace yourself." She polites yesses me to death as I describe concept and emotion and evocative visuals. And then she delivers meticulous cutting and styling that ends up looking quite similar to what I had last time because truthfully it's what I really ended up describing, and because she knows I am not anywhere near as daring as I pretend to be. And the haircut withstands months of forgetting to schedule an appointment, and even as it is growing out, I can see the mark of an excellent cut... it still looks perfect and even all around as it grows. That's quality right there. Several salons, two cross country moves, and many years later, and I will still go whereever and Robyn and her quality workmanship land her. And yes, that has included a plane trip, road trip, and a visit to have her style my hair in San Diego. True story.

... which brings me to the next item

2) Trust. This might be scary stuff for some of you. I know. "But Toni Ryan," you plead. "I have trust issues." To that end I say, it's ok. But learning to trust again takes baby steps, and if you're going to conquer your bigger demons, easier to dip your toe in by learning to trust someone who you have no emotional investment in. Someone who you're paying to utilize their experience and extensive training. Yoohoo! Experience? Extensive Training? Yes, yes, you see where I'm going with this. Your hair stylist has been trained. You haven't. Now that having been said, if someone off the street said to me, "I need someone to make me look awesome, and I have to choose between these two people...." and these two people were YOU and the trained professional with a gazillion hours under their belt... well duh, obviously you're not the person I'm going to pick, right? Let them do your job. Especially if you're forking over what you consider a lot for a haircut.

Back to My Hairstylist Robyn. When I've finally had to turn around say, "Really. I'm serious this time. I know what I always say, but keep going. Cut more." ... I've held my breath as she cut and cut and cut. And later nearly got into a car accident looking admiring the new short 'do in the rearview mirror on my way home. I didn't know what I was talking about, but she did. Thank God!


3) The people populating the planet outnumber you. What does that have to do with my hair, you ask yourself. It has everything to do with it. It's what you need to keep repeating in your head when you are in the salon, most especially if you've come with some kind of fear, or are trying something new and here's why: Unless you have some ability to inspect your entire head three-dimensionally, you really really have no idea what your hair looks like. Ever. Think about it, you know it's true. In which case, what your hair looks like is something the rest of the world has to deal with not you. What do you know about your own hair? You can't even really experience what's on your head!


This little mantra is what will help you with Rule #2 above about trusting your stylist. If they tell you that something is gonna look good , you might just have to throw caution to the wind and think... well she knows what she's talking about, and I'm doing it for the aesthetic good of all mankind!!!! (overdramatized, but true)

And! It also comes in handy if you have some hair crutch... something you can't seem to let go of because you fear the unknown and would rather live in that decades-old bubble in your head where the curling-iron-fried-and-spritzed barrel bangs really bring out your eyes. They don't. They bring out the fact that you think 2007 is overrated, and that you are singlehandedly campaigning to bring 1983 back with a vengeance.


I hate to be harsh, but I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to do a disservice to yourself. For godssakes, I'm the one that has to look at you and that hair!