Your Cinco de Mayo fiesta is planned, but make sure you don't end up regretting those cervezas with drunk texting an old flame, exclaiming your everlasting love. Before you start downing drinks at the party, designate a sober driver and check out these apps that will keep your drunken dialing on lockdown. You're welcome.
If you haven't read it by now, there's a post that's gone viral written by Amy Sohn about a new breed of moms — ones who hit the town or a night of serious partying along with other unmentionables. Sohn refers to how her friends get together once a month and call each other "Hookers, Sluts, and Drug Addicts." She continues to share details about a recent evening full of drinking, moments of nudity, and potential propositions. Her defense? She and other moms are responding to boredom and their lives evolving, and if acting like a 20-year-old for one night a month makes things seem just a little bit better, it's worth it.
Does Sohn take things a bit too far? Or is it becoming socially acceptable for moms to hit the town with their ladies and let loose with a drunken night out? As a mom of a toddler, I get few and far between nights to go out with girlfriends, and, for the most part, they are spent drinking margaritas at a local bar and then bed by midnight. With Sohn's new book, Motherland, coming out next month, is this just a publicity stunt to drive intrigued readers to prepurchase?
Enjoying a girl's night out is wonderful for any mama, providing much-needed time to dish about the ups and downs of parenting and marriage. But do things need to be taken to such extremes to have a "good time"? What do you think? Is Sohn spot-on with her portrayal of the modern-day mama hitting the town for a wasted girls' night out or just downright crazy?
Source: YumSugar
On your camping list: camera, flask, and . . . camera flask? For geeks who like to enjoy a drink now and then, we've rounded up some playful, practical flasks with techie flair. Whether you're planning a Summer camping trip or a casual afternoon picnic, these tech-inspired flasks are sure to add a fun, playful touch to the occasion.
New Year's Eve parties are usually accompanied by tasty libations, which are great, until you realize you've had one too many and drunk texted your old flame, exclaiming your everlasting love. How embarrassing. Before you start downing drinks at this weekend's year-end féte, designate a sober driver and check out these apps that will keep your drunken dialing on lockdown. Happy New Year!
Coming off the most frenzied shopping season of the year, we know how easy purchasing online is compared to wading through mall crowds. But are there times when it's too easy, say, after happy hour when the evening's web deals begin to land in your email?
Online retailers, it seems, are grateful for a new customer profile — the digital tipsy shopper. Web-based stores are seeing an uptick in late-night purchases, which could just be explained as the time when customers are home and online browsing, but anecdotal evidence from The New York Times suggests there are other factors — like a postwork cocktail — at play. With many customers keeping credit card information on file, shopping is easy as two clicks on a smartphone app while still at the office's favorite wine bar or an "Add to Cart" selection from the comfort of home without the real-life interference of taking out a wallet.
Of course, making purchases not remembered the next day can have dangerous repercussions on finances, so drinking and shopping isn't something retailers are claiming to support. Since it is so easy to shop on the cab ride back from drinks or while watching TV with glass of wine in hand, has your happy hour euphoria ever resulted in online shopping under the influence?
Once dinner's been decided on, the hardest part of any special occasion meal may very well be the wine pairing. Does seafood go with reds? What sort of entrée pairs well with champagne? Enter Hello Vino, a free iOS and Android app for your oenological questions.
Hello Vino helps to choose a wine based on a specific dish, occasion, grape flavor, or region. Knowing we can't all be wine connoisseurs, the app is packed with an encyclopedia's worth of wine knowledge, even including the pronunciation of wine varietals.
A feature that's guaranteed to come in handy when faced with an intimidating aisle full of seemingly identical wine bottles is Hello Vino's label recognition technology. Take a photo of a bottle's label within the app, and it will provide all the hidden information needed to make a selection including tasting notes, ratings, and food pairings. Save a note about the particular wine for later if you aren't ready to purchase a bottle. No more choosing a bottle based on the best label!
Admit it, you've been looking for a way to spice up happy hour. Instead of finding a new, over-priced and crowded hot spot, keep things at home and let your music preferences drive your beverage choices. Drinkify, a new site developed during Boston's recent Music Hack Day, suggests the best drink pairing for your current musical mood.
Enter the musician or band blasting from the stereo and Drinkify provides an adult drink recipe that best matches the tunes, complete with garnish and how the drink should be served. According to Drinkify, Jay-Z is best with gin on the rocks, while Red Bull is required for Justin Bieber (he is underage, after all). Since the site plugs in to Last.fm's API, there is a nearly limitless database of musicians ready for their libation mate. The question of what to serve at this year's holiday party has now been answered, as long as the playlist is settled.
There's nothing wrong with turning your favorite drink into something a little more adult. Thankfully, tea is not only relaxing but can be a great mixer with some stronger ingredients. Get out your favorite blend ("Earl Grey. Hot."), and check out some of these tea-infused cocktail recipes that are fit for a captain.
A camera lens mug just isn't enough, especially if you're planning to invite a bunch of camera nerds to your next shindig. In these instances, you need the Camera Lens Shot Glass Set ($18 for three), which is made from sturdy ceramic and will hold anything from espresso to sarsaparilla to Svedka. Or, use them as decorative accents to hold your flash drives or toothpicks. The choice is yours. Get a closer look in the gallery!
International Beer Day landing on a Friday is a double-edged sword. No work tomorrow equals plenty of time to discover new and delicious craft beers. However, more hours drinking said beer could result in some unintended technology mishaps. Protect yourself and tech responsibly by activating these apps before picking up a celebratory frosty mug.
