How To Be The Best Best Man.

So your buddy has asked you to be his best man in his wedding. This could bring forth a whole bunch of emotions. From the honor in being chosen to the horror in his moving so eagerly toward married life, it’s natural for you to feel a bit disoriented about the whole wedding day and you’re probably even more confused about what it is exactly you, the best man, should be doing on the big day. What is a best man, anyway? And how can you be the best best man out there?

Before you even move forward an inch with the wedding plans, it’s crucial that you answer the important question of whether or not you’re even capable of being a best man. Naturally, the groom-to-be, and everyone else involved, would like to see the chosen best man accept his duties, but if you’re incapable of accepting these duties–don’t. If you’re touring in a band, working 70 hours a week, thoroughly hate the bride-to-be, etc., it may be more responsible for you to tell your friend from the get-go that the job would be better performed by someone else if you can’t follow through. For the record, however, my advice is to bite your tongue, make some sacrifices, follow through, and be the best man.

So what are the duties? What does it mean to say, “Of course I’ll do it, man!”? Well, the best man’s duties are far and wide. Typically, best men are under the impression that organizing the bachelor party is their big task. In reality, the bachelor party is just one of many traditional tasks. And to name a few (drum roll):

1. Serve as an aide to the groom.
2. Help the groom buy his formal wear for the wedding.
3. Attend the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
4. Stand beside the groom at the altar and hold the rings until the vows are exchanged.
5. Sign the marriage licenses as a witness.

Lists like these go on for miles. But they’re hardly of importance. In essence, the only thing you have to do to be the best best man out there is do whatever the hell the groom asks you to do. If you asks you to pick up his laundry or bring home a six-pack because he can’t control his bridezilla–well those duties are just as important as any others. The key question is this: “Can you be a right-hand man?”. If you can, then by god, you’ll be the best best man out there. Unless you suck at being a right-hand man.

6 Annoying Airplane Habits to Avoid

As a travel writer, I spend a great deal of time on planes. Now, I know that my career grays the lines between work and play and while I love what I do, I’m not always as enthusiastic about airplanes and pending trips as everyone else on board – totally fine. But there are some common airplane courtesies which I feel should be respected and upheld by all…and yet….they just aren’t.

I’m not writing any of this to be a dick. I just want you to know the things you might do on an airplane that make other people think you’re a dick. You know…so you can stop doing them. No one likes a dick. Or, um… You know what I mean… Read more

Weekend Warrior: London

When in London for a weekend, there are endless possibilities. There are lists upon lists of pubs, restaurants, and hotels that will have you, and keep you, for a few days straight. A recent trip to London helped me to compile a list of weekend must-sees. But narrowing down this excellent English city to just a few bullet points doesn’t do it justice, so if you have suggestions, be sure to leave them in a comment. Read more

Weekend Warrior: Cabo

There are so many things to do in Cabo if you find yourself in Mexico. But some people, particularly west coasters just looking for a quick fix, can only get away for the weekend. If you’ve got a weekend in Cabo, figuring out exactly what to do is of course up to you, but below is what I’d recommend based on the few days I recently spent in Cabo. This list does not include your typical spring-break partying spots, but if those are what you’re looking for, I have faith you can find them without my help. If you’ve got suggestions besides these, leave them in a comment for our readers! Read more

Weekend Warrior: New Orleans

There are a billion things to do in New Orleans. There are a billion sounds, tastes, and sights. But if you only have a weekend in New Orleans, like I did, you’re going to want to make sure you’re seeing things that will really top your list. I can only speak for myself, but if you’re clueless about how to spend your weekend in New Orleans, I’d highly recommend the following–all things I did myself. Note: If you have some other helpful suggestions of what to do and see in New Orleans over a weekend visit, leave them in a comment on here for our readers! Read more

Weekend Warrior: Philadelphia

Philadelphia, like many other cities, offers an array of fun options for the weekend visitor. Each person’s experience yields different outings, each person’s experience varies. But I spent a weekend in Philadelphia and it was flawlessly fun and perfect. If you’ve got your own ideas of what to do in Philadelphia, great! Better yet, share them in the comments on this post. But if you’re clueless, I’d highly recommend doing the following–because I did–and it was awesome: Read more

Travel Genius: Atlantic City, NJ Dos and Don’ts

What to do while traveling and what not to do. These are things you should know. Every city, every state, country, region…they’re all different. And I’m here to tell you what to do and what not to do based on my own experiences. Starting with Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Let’s pretend you find yourself in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There’s likely only one reason why: gambling. Gambling is legal and blossoming in this grim and gray beach town. If you East-Coasters can’t afford the trip to the desert’s Las Vegas to give your luck at the Black Jack table a turn, Atlantic City is where you’ll likely end up for your gambling getaway. But beware…A.C. is no Las Vegas. I recently visited the city and have these pieces of advice for you: Read more

In Your Ear: Brooklyn’s Wild Yaks

Just when I’d begun to think New York had lost its soul in music, I was turned onto the Wild Yaks. And thank god. Who knows what this band is doing in Brooklyn, but one thing is for certain: they’re leaving an impression. The Wild Yaks have got energy-infused anthem-esque songs that fondly remind me of Florida’s Against Me! and their proteges, Fake Problems and sexy squealing brass parts that take me back to the days of Morphine. Read more

Your mission: Howe Caverns, New York

Sometimes, in order to get an awesome thrill, you need to crawl out of your element a bit.  And by crawl….I mean crawl.  Have you tried spelunking?

It’s one of the best body highs you adrenaline junkies (or aspiring adrenaline junkies) could ever hope for.  It has this f*cked up way of terrifying you and fulfilling you simultaneously and trust me, that’s a good thing.

Caves aren’t normally too hard to find, at least not in the U.S.A.  Scouting down good caves, however, does get tricky in certain parts of the U.S.A.

Finding good caves around large cities, for instance, can be a challenge.  It’s not that they don’t exist, it’s just that they’re not as in demand for city-slickers in most cases and therefore, harder to find.

Finding decent caves worth your time near New York City might be the biggest challenge of all.  Thanks to Howe Caverns, though, spelunking and being a New Yorker can, in fact, work together.

Howe Caverns, located to the west of Albany, is only 2-3 hours from New York City.  And it’s well worth the drive.  Not only are the sprawling caves well managed and beckoning, but three different types of tours are offered through the caves:  the lantern tour, the traditional boat tour, and the adventure tour.

I can proudly speak on behalf of both the traditional boat tour and the adventure tour when I say that Howe Caverns is amazing.

If you find yourself to be one of the concrete jungle herd, consider doing something revitalizing for your body and mind like spelunking.  Because it’s bad ass.

Dirty Thursday: Coheed & Cambria

BAND: Coheed & Cambria

TOWN: New York, New York

MEMBERS: Claudio Sanchez, Travis Stever, Michael Todd, Chris Pennie

THEIR DEAL: This New York band has developed their fan base on concept albums, based off of a science fiction story line in a series of comics written by singer, Claudio Sanchez.  And the music is pretty technically awesome, too.

THE DIRT: The band had a run of shows in New York back in October that are now being turned into a huge box set for the band.  It’ll include performances of their 4 studio albums as well as four live DVDs and a documentary DVD. Expect it out March 3.

Tuesday’s Album Releases: Crappy Emo and Soulja Boy

If you like emo music, I’m not going to pretend to understand why.  But I will tell you something:  today is your day.  On this day, two bands released albums.  These two bands happen to be going on tour together, too.  They’re band friends and it’s really cute.  Fall Out Boy released their “Folie a Deux” today.  It sounds very Fall Out Boyish, but….there is something different about it.  I can hardly put my finger on what it is that is different…but it does seem as though the boys are falling into the shoes of men.  Or…they’re trying to.

The other said band, All American Rejects, released their “When The World Comes Down” today.  It sounds pretty much exactly like everything I have ever heard from them.  You decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

In other news, Soulja Boy released a new album today, too.  And it’s not about a super hero of any sort.  I have to say, what I have heard of this album is so weird that I actually like it.  He’s got some creepy and deep vocals juxtaposed against distorted lead guitar with standard hip-hop beats.  If nothing else, it’s interesting.

Other albums released today:

Dave Matthews Band, “Live at Mile High Music Festival“

Keyshia Cole, “A Different Me“

Jamie Foxx, “Intuition“

Tuesday’s Album Releases: Britney F’ing Spears

Don’t try to act like you’re not pumped to go grab Britney’s Spears‘ new album, “Circus” today.  The much anticipated album finally drops today.  Britney is back is such a cliche phrase, but yo, the girl is back.  She looks good again.  Her beats are more hook-filled than ever.

I’m proud of the girl.  Not just for ‘coming back’, but for coming back stronger.  Good job, Brit.  Now go get some star-shaped scarifications and make all of the preteens think it’s cool.

In other pop type news, Akon also released an album today.  “Freedom” hits shelves today with catchy R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop tunes and even though it isn’t my favorite cup of tea, I’ll be the first to admit that it is good.

Akon has got his sh*t together if you ask me…musically speaking.  I don’t know jack about his personal life or head space. Read more

Tuesday’s Album Releases: The Killers

The Killers have become much like George W. to me.  With each passing year, I found myself asking more intently: are people really falling for this?  I don’t mean to be a hater.  In fact, I thought, “Mr. Brightside” was a cute and catchy song.  But with their new album, “Day & Age“, I’m thoroughly shocked.

Are The Killers blatantly ripping off the 80′s, in whole, or has no one told them that it’s all been done?  Eh.  But hey, if you’re into that scene, regardless of originality, this album will probably be something that you love. Read more

Dirty Thursday: Nine Inch Nails

THE BAND: Nine Inch Nails

HOMETOWN: Cleveland, Ohio

MEMBERS: Trent Reznor and whomever else.

THEIR DEAL: This industrial-leaning and widely-respected borderline-legendary band has gone from scratch demos in Trent Reznor’s bedroom to selling out arenas across the globe over the span of their career.

THE DIRT: Since the group is solely based around Reznor’s music and vision, they have gone through multiple lineup changes over the years.  This time, however, their lineup change is a bit drastic.  Replacing the ever-so-gifted Josh Freese, the drummer of Lostprophets, Ilan Rubin, will now be the sitting drummer for Nine Inch Nails.  I have one question: who paid Trent Reznor to give a band like lostprophets a listen to begin with?