How To: Have A Great St. Patrick’s Day

by Shannon

With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Monday this, I did my main celebrating Saturday with Liam and some friends, and man, we had a blast.

I’m a strong believer that St. Patrick’s Day can be totally fun, without having to pay a $15 cover and cram yourself into a room that seems to have more elbows than bartenders and vacant bathrooms, with the former constantly being shoved in your face. Last year, Liam and I did a sweet College Street pub crawl with a friend that worked out awesome – non-Irish bars get ignored during this holiday, so we had great service, and the bartenders were fun to chat with. This year, we went for the same idea.

Once everyone found the place, we all huddled into Duke’s Refresher, which is a relatively new bar on Gerrard at Yonge. It has a great beer selection, the food was killer (as was my beer milkshake. What!?), and the band kept playing Beatles songs once they realized we loved them. We sat around, played Truth or Dare, ordered multiple Moosehead‘s, and the band even dedicated a song to me.

From there, we booted over to Jack Astor’s for some Woodchuck Ciders, then over to Beer Academy to wrap up the evening. By the time my facepaint was wearing off and Liam and I had demolished the Chinese food we brought home to devour during House of Cards, I was tapped, but I’d had one awesome St. Patrick’s Day.

In honour of my awesome day, I’ve put together a small list of rules that should help you have a wonderful holiday without being stupid.

1. Always make friends with the band and bartenders. They’re so often really cool

2. Ain’t nothing wrong with painting your face. Just ask my mom, who still faithfully does it every year

3. If you have to pay cover at a normally coverless bar, it probably isn’t worth it

4. Eat, eat! You’re skin and bones

5. Green dye will make you feel gross

6. Friends are better than no friends

7. Sing along, clap your hands, laugh loudly. If people can’t hear how much fun you’re having, you’re not having enough fun!

8. At the end of the day, make sure you curl up with a glass of water, a good book that you’re fanatically reading because it expires from the library in two days and you apparently can’t renew e-books, and someone who loves you (even if that someone is just a poster of Keanu Reeves)

What’s Yo’ Beef #19

by Rachel

Rachel

Well, its been almost 5 months of beef, and although I do have some minor beefs this week (people who don’t shovel their sidewalks… COME ON) it’s the holiday season and I am feeling pretty good. So I thought it’s  time for an anti-beef post. What are you happy about today? This week? This year?
My anti-beefs are being done with Christmas prep so I can enjoy the days leading up to Christmas, the fact that I am going to be in one of the most famous cities in the world for New Year’s Eve, and when your fashion choices are confirmed by experts on Cityline. I could go on, but these are the ones that inspired this post.

Shannon

Well isn’t this just a feel good kind of post. Personally, I’m still totally on board for beefs (when your mittens get a hole in them and you’re just too lazy to sew it up, having a drink be just out of reach so you have to move to get it), but I’ll get on board with this, because afterall, Santa’s watching.

I guess my anti-beef today would be meeting new people. Isn’t it the best? Just connecting with strangers, or with people you don’t know super well, like work acquaintances. The past couple of days I’ve been travelling to Western Canada for work, and I’ve got to hang out with some of our sales guys out here. And man, they are the coolest. I think it’s a great reminder that there are a shit tonne of people in the world, and it’s really fun to meet them all.

How To: Play Holiday Kings

by Rachel

Rachel and I co-hosted a holiday party in Toronto this past weekend, and it was pretty kick-ass. In addition to an awesome dreidle-pinata, a James Ready chug-off every half-hour, and being bombarded with a What’s Yo Beef board, advent calendar, and name-drop immediately upon entry, we made up this amazing version of Kings. Let’s just say, it was a hit.

A: Everybody drinks. Because it’s Christmas.
2: For Jews. Don’t worry if you think we’re being all racist, just wait until #4 and relax.
3: Treat Yo’self to 3 drinks.
4: For Goys. See? Now, just take a deep breath, and remember that we’re good people and we love everyone, not matter if they pray to God, G-d, or Keanu Reeves.
5: Give the gift of 5 drinks. Assign other players 5 drinks… You can give all five to one person, one to five different people and everything in between. Don’t forget to sing this like you’re singing the 12 Days of Christmas’ “5 Golden Rings” line.
6: Pretend to eat another player’s leg like it’s a turkey drumstick. Take a drink to wash it down.
7: Point to the North Pole! This is essentially Thumbmaster, where the person who gets this card can point to the North Pole whenever they want, and everyone has to follow suit. The last person has to drink.
8: 8 crazy nights – give 8 drinks.
9: Talk like Santa. This is way funnier than you think. Take a drink.
10: Sit on someone’s lap like Santa and tell them what you wish for. ‘Santa’ takes a drink.
J: Pretend you are opening a present that you don’t like. Take a drink.
Q: Santa Baby seduction: choose someone to sing Santa baby while you lip sync and dance for another player. Both players take a drink.
K: Wears the Santa Beard! Make or buy a white beard and whoever picks a King wears it until the next person picks a King. Take a drink.

How To: Freak Yourself Out

by Shannon

Plan a holiday party when you actually have zero time to, you know, clean your house, prepare the Jello shots, make chain link decorations, plan your impromptu dance routine, and everything else that obviously makes a good party.

How To: Make Old Shoes Feel New Again

by Rachel

Glitter!
I am a terrible DIY’er in the sense that I ALWAYS forget to take a before picture.
Imagine a pair of gold metallic heels. They were great the first time I wore them, still good for going to the bar, but have since gotten so scuffed up I didn’t like to wear them anymore. So, I bedazzled with a bit of glue, glitter and glaze: the 3 gl’s.
Step 1: Use a paint brush to spread your glue
Step 2: Pour copious amounts of glitter on. Make sure you have a large piece of paper or magazine under so its easy cleanup. Lightly tap stray glitter so it sticks.
Step 3: Get a brush on glaze to put a shiny coat over top and to help prevent a glitter trail everywhere you go.

Just in time for holidays I have some new beautiful glittered heels!

Glitter is my favourite colour

How To: Really Impress Your Husband

by Shannon

For Valentine’s Day, shun flowers and teddy bears. Instead, offer to create a beer pairings dinner. Not only will he love you more than he ever has before, but you can get just a little bit weekday drunk in a totally acceptable way.