Afternoon Drive with Jeff & Carly

Can you judge a man by his vehicle?  Dating coach DeAnna Lorraine and LeaseTrader.com seem to think so.  They’ve teamed up to determine the personality traits of the guys who drive the five most commonly leased vehicles:

Chevy Suburban: These men like travel, adventure and spending time with friends and family.  Suburbans attract women that are family-oriented, down-to-earth and easy-going.

Mercedes S-Class: These men are classy, successful, stylish and “Sugar Daddies.” These vehicles attract women that are in their late 30s and 40s, sophisticated, and enjoy being taken care of.

Ford F-150: These men tend to be insecure and overcompensate on a tough, macho level. The F-150 attracts women that prefer to be protected by a man so they can feel safe.

Corvette: Men who drive Corvettes are conservative, trying to satisfy a mid-life crisis by displaying their wild side through their car. Corvettes draw women that are attracted to the bad-boy image, and are typically bad girls themselves.

Toyota Camry: Male Camry drivers are solid, reliable and committed. These vehicles attract women that are sweet, level-headed, uncomplicated and undemanding.

I don’t really agree with their assessment.  The Suburban says “suburbs” and “Costco” to me, not “travel” and “adventure”.  Sure the Mercedes can represent “class” and “wealth”, but it could also be this guy lives in a trailer, so he can afford his sweet ride.  Frankly, I’m not overly picky about a guy’s wheels as long as it’s in good repair.

What do you drive?  Do you think it’s reflective of who you are or who you want to be?  Have you noticed people treating you differently based on your automobile?  Have your say by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link below.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus coe is HOTROD.  It’s valid until June 14th.  And don’t forget to enter the Ferrari for Father’s Day draw at www.925jackfm.com.  You only have until 11:59 tonight (June 12th)!

We’re fortunate to be blessed with a vibrant cultural scene here in T.O., so much so in fact that often exceptional events get lost in the voluminous shuffle.  Hopefully that won’t be the case next week at the ReelheART Film Festival, where it’s cheap movie night every night.  For $6, you can check out a few indie films at Southern Accent, maybe even treat yourself to a bourbon sour and some jambalaya while you’re there.  Click HERE to find out more about the festival.

I’m looking forward to one film in particular and not just because it’s set in my hometown of Winnipeg in 1984.  Kevin Doherty’s Black Bridge ‘84: Year of the Banger, according to Canuxploitation.com, “starts out like another take on FUBAR [but] quickly unfolds into something entirely original, an engaging tragedy rooted in the media fascination with heavy metal as a doorway to drugs, suicide, Satanism and murder.  Though a few false acting notes are hit, Black Bridge still manages to weave several naturally unfolding stories into a decisively emotional narrative, even working in some very funny flashes of dark humour.”  Playing on Thursday night, it sounds like an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours, but I won’t lie - I’m going mainly for the mullets and the metal (insert goat horns here).

As I say, I haven’t seen the film yet, but it got me thinking about great movies that are unjustly relegated to obscurity.  A few years back, I came across a copy of Richard Crouse’s book The 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, so my ex and I vowed to see them.  Sadly, the list outlasted the relationship, but we did get to view some entertaining flicks that we otherwise would never have known existed.

What unknown or unpopular films have you enjoyed?  Maybe they were foreign, independent, went straight to video or simply bombed at the box office and you can’t understand why.  Share your list and what you liked about each by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link below.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is BLACKBRIDGE.  It’s valid until Friday, June 13th.

So it looks like the Stanley Cup was slightly dented after too much merrymaking in Detroit.  The NHL trophy took a tumble at Cheli’s Chili Bar, a restaurant owned by Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios.  (He’s also my future husband, but don’t tell him because it’s a surprise!)  NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur says the dent has been smoothed out, so the coveted Cup is as good as new.

The incident got me thinking about prized possessions being accidentally broken, ruined or lost, either by the proud owner or an admirer.  Has that ever happened to you?  What was the item?  Were you able to repair or replace it?  Did you get over it or does it bug you to this day?  Share your pain be clicking on the No Comments/Comments link below.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is CUPCALAMITY.  It’s valid until June 12th.  

According to Esquire, the “perfect bar” demonstrates the following characteristics:

• Darkness: Nobody likes a bright bar.
• Small bar stools: And those widely separated. Because it’s horrible having to attack a phalanx of backs to get your drink order in. No bar stools is even better.
• Jiggers, muddlers, graters, and several kinds of bitters: If they have the extra tools and bitters, it says they’re ready to make some real cocktails.
• Crap on the walls: And lots of it. Not just because it’s nice to have something that engages your attention when the group you’re with starts talking about hockey or Heroes. But because every item is a memorial to somebody — the owner, the tenders, the customers — who cares enough about it to decorate it. And after all, the essence of a real bar is a community of caring individuals.
• No TV: And especially no flat-screens.
• Lots of whiskey:Scotches, bourbons, ryes, Irish, Japanese.
• No bottled beer: And only two or three taps for draft beer, all for cask ale (which has to be hand-pumped from the keg). Cask ales are fresh and alive, and if there are only a few taps, you’re pretty sure to be getting a fresh pint; when there are dozens, some barrels can sit there forever.
• Good jukebox:Not a satellite jukebox. Not the bartender’s iPod. One that plays CDs (or even 45’s) so you know the selection was chosen with care.
• A nude woman: Even if it has to be a painted one.
• A good men’s room: It should be at the end of the bar.
• No amusements:No buck-hunting game, quarters table, or what have you. It distracts from the drinking and attracts an unserious element. That said, a one-lane bowling alley in the basement is cool.

Would you agree?  I’m not feelin’ it.  Although I concur that darkness and a good jukebox are essential, I like bottled beer and muted televisions, so you can follow the game or at least check out the score from time to time.  As for the nude woman, well, only, if the Greek god-like nude man is in tow.  Feel free to share the traits you deem important for a great watering hole by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link at the bottom.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is “CHEERS!”.  It’s valid until June 11th.

I don’t usually put a lot of stock in horoscopes, but sometimes they can be uncannily accurate.  Take this guide to dating conversation from Match.com.  I’m Aries and I must admit, I do like to talk sports and vacations and have no time for reality television or gardening.  See what you think.

ZODIAC GUIDE TO DATING CONVERSATION

 ARIES

• Topics that fly: Sports (but not losing teams), the best vacation place in
  North America, the best deal they ever made.
• Topics that crash: Reality TV shows, gardening, and social injustice.

TAURUS

• Topics that fly: Massage: its pros and cons; asking advice about anything other than weight loss; where they’d invest in real estate if money was no object.
• Topics that crash: Diets or your success with weight loss, how you survived a crash or accident (they can be squeamish), controversy regarding religious institutions.

GEMINI

• Topics that fly: Anything derived from an entertainment magazine, an anecdote with a very funny punch line, personal questions.
• Topics that crash: Wordy opinions about sports teams, highways, or legislation, your mother, what you got on your SATs.

CANCER

• Topics that fly: Families - genetic, ancestral, immediate or distant, wine and beer but not spirits, home team advantage in any sport.
• Topics that crash: Intimate personal details, whining about your family, stories about your high school.

LEO

• Topics that fly: Anything about your Leo’s personal achievements and social contacts, fashion (as long as they can afford it), where the best fun is right now.
• Topics that crash: Sober, foot-noted views on developing countries, how early you got up/how far you run/how disciplined you are, how many other people are interested in you.

VIRGO

• Topics that fly: Almost anything but especially health, relationships, your pets, and where to get the best food is in town.
• Topics that crash: Your collectibles, practical jokes you’ve played, and viruses that affect digestion (they’ll top you and kill any passion in doing so).

LIBRA

• Topics that fly: Movies, vacations, books, magazines, politics (but you’d better know what you’re talking about) and designer fashions.
• Topics that crash: Gory or frightening stories with no point, potty humor, loud opinions in small spaces, fiction presented as fact.

SCORPIO

• Topics that fly: The latest celebrity scandal, a really good book that is being made into a movie, your optimism in all matters financial.
• Topics that crash: Your last breakup, a prolonged debate about whether or not to have a drink, asking about family.

SAGITTARIUS

• Topics that fly: Stories of personal excess in relation to food, drink, and money and how you rose above it. Justice served in a headline case, the places you’d like to explore in the future.
• Topics that crash: Anything that is derived from a blog without substantiation, why you did or didn’t go to law school, your latest tattoos.

CAPRICORN

• Topics that fly: Business news, real-estate prices, what’s good about the city you’re in, and how hard work really pays off.
• Topics that crash: Pride in getting away with something you haven’t earned, asking what they paid for their outfit, talking about sex drives.

AQUARIUS

• Topics that fly: Complicated social issues in the world, your town, or their life, books or magazines you’re ardent about, what fads they hate.
• Topics that crash: Your career, cars and traffic, any hobby that requires needles.

PISCES

• Topics that fly: pets of any kind, volunteering stories, music, best and worst of just about anything.
• Topics that crash: Airplane crashes, filthy jokes, how fun you are with other people.

Do the topics attributed to your sign appeal to you?  Do you have a psychic or horoscope story?  Share your thoughts by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link below.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is ZODIACTALK.  It’s valid until June 8th.

Picking a date for a May or June wedding can be dicey because one never knows just how late the NHL season will go.  Remember the good old days when it was done by mid-April?  Best of 5, except for the final round.  But Canadian brides, like Sam’s sister, who are getting married this Saturday can relax - the Stanley Cup has been won!  Woo hoo!  The male guests won’t spend the entire evening out in the parking lot listening to the game on the radio or hanging out in the sports bar next door to the reception hall.

June is the most popular time of the year for weddings and not only here in Canada where it’s the first month that double digit temps are almost guaranteed.  Ron Wood’s daughter is getting married at daddy’s mansion in the U.K. on June 21st, and the Rolling Stone is currently looking for a few good little men to dress up like elves in keeping with his progeny’s Midsummer Night’s Dream theme wedding.  That’s right, he wants to hire dwarves for the reception.

I’ve been to a number of weddings in my time, but I’ve never seen anything in such poor taste.  I have seen groomsmen in grey tuxedos walking down the aisle doing the hesitation step, though.  (For those of you unfamiliar with the step, it’s the painfully long one where you step on your right, step together, step on your left, step together.)  Not the most manly way to walk down the aisle, but they were also wearing baby pink bow ties and cummerbunds, so testosterone wasn’t exactly the order of the day.

What’s the worst thing you’ve witnessed at a wedding?  Inappropriate speeches?  Raunchy dancing?  Tacky theme?  You’ll never get that Saturday night back, but you can get it out of your system by clicking the No Comments/Comments link below and ranting away.  Today’s Jack Nation Bonus code is CHEESYWEDDINGS.  It’s valid until Saturday night, of course!

Tatum O’Neal

The other day Tatum O’Neal was arrested for allegedly trying to buy crack cocaine.  The actor and former drug addict claimed she was doing research for a role.  You would think she had done enough research for one lifetime when she was previously dependent on heroin and coke, but I digress.  Now The New York Post is saying the Rescue Me co-star claims she was distressed over the loss of her dog and that caused her to fall off the wagon.

What are some of the worst excuses you’ve heard?  Someone tried to get out of having dinner with me once (a meal I had cooked I might add) by texting me that he was too tired from shovelling his driveway.  I guess he was too cowardly or didn’t respect me enough to at least dial my number and make up a credible lie.  Can you top that?  Do you have an acquaintance who is full of laughable excuses?  Share your experiences by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link below.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is WORSTEXCUSES.  It may not get you out of a jam, but it will score you points until June 6th.

Like it or not, our superficial society judges people by the cars they drive, the shoes they wear, the music they prefer.  Even your coffee drink of choice says something about you, according to Match.com: 

Black coffee: These basic cup o’ joe types tend to be responsible, ambitious, and aggressive. Fiercely independent, these individuals require you to work at coaxing out their romantic side in a relationship.

• Most compatible with: Chai tea latte drinkers.

Cafe au lait: Cafe au lait drinkers are veeery laid back. These tradition-seekers also find comfort in typical male/female dating roles (i.e., the man gets the check and opens the door).

• Most compatible with: Mocha-flavored coffee drinkers.

Mocha-flavored coffee: Mocha-flavored coffee drinkers are universal romantics who love to be in love. Keep in mind, though, that they can be moody and aren’t the most reliable bunch. Still, they can more than make up for it with their wonderful lovey-dovey gestures.

• Most compatible with: Everyone!

Iced mocha: These spontaneous, seductive flirts make very captivating dates. But if a long-term relationship is what you seek, keep in mind that their idea of “future” is probably five minutes from now.

• Most compatible with: Other iced mocha drinkers.

Chai tea latte: Often stressed and anxious, chai tea latte drinkers tend to be shy in relationships. So know that the first move might have to be yours for the making.

• Most compatible with: Black coffee drinkers.

Coffee-based Frappuccino: Loaded with ambition, these energetic optimists give their all to everything – including dating. The only downside: They’re often guilty of over-committing themselves, and appreciate a level-headed partner who’ll remind them when to put on the brakes.

• Most compatible with: Cafe au lait drinkers.

Tea/fruit-based Frappuccino: These non-coffee Frappuccino drinkers are more often followers than leaders. Relationship-wise, this translates to an incredibly supportive partner who approaches life, love and work in a serious and thoughtful way.

• Most compatible with: Iced mocha drinkers.

Do you find this list to be accurate?  Is it even possible to judge someone by the kind of coffee they drink?  Do you have a “guilty pleasure” when you go to an upscale coffee shop, i.e. a fancy drink you’re embarrassed to admit you enjoy and know how to order properly?  Mine is an iced grande unsweetened green tea lemonade - but only when it’s hot outside.  That’s my excuse, I mean reason, and I’m sticking to it!

Share your thoughts by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link at the bottom.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is CAFEAULAIT.  It will give your account a jolt until June 5th.

Bill Cosby is auctioning off some of the sweaters he wore on The Cosby Show.  The money raised on eBay will benefit the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation, a charity named in memory of the comedian’s son who was murdered while changing a tire by the side of the road in 1997.  The auction started today and runs until June 12th.  Minimum bids start at $5000.

Now I realize the money is for a good cause, but if I had the cash, I would just donate the dough and tell them to keep the sweater.  What would you do with something so hideous?  I guess you could turn it into a throw pillow.  Do you know someone who has a collection of bad sweaters?  Did you ever receive a nasty sweater as a gift?  Did you wear it?  What about bad ties?  There’s always some joker who’s proud to sport his cheesy tie at work or family functions (Jeff Brown).  Share your tacky garment stories by clicking on the No Comments/Comments link at the bottom.  Today’s Jack Nation bonus code is BADSWEATER.  It’s valid until June 4th.