For All The Men That Need A Clue

Hello my lovely readers! Guess what? My birthday is today! (July 30th) Yay! Although I'm kind of sad that I won't be a teenager anymore, I feel a bit like a grown up. :P

Anyways, for the next couple of weeks, the topic of my blogs with be relationships. For those of you who are single, whether you like or hate it, don't worry. There's stuff for everyone. For today, there's somewhat comedic tips for men. Next, tips for women. Because let's face it, sometimes the opposite sex is freaking confusing.

After that, I will be posting oodles and oodles of date ideas that can double as hang out ideas with friends. I would love to get feedback from you guys; you can contact me on www.myspace.com/thedailykricket. Enjoy!


Things every man should know:

1. Unless you always do, your girlfriend is not going to kill you for canceling on her. Crap happens. But dude, have the decency to let her know BEFORE she wastes an hour shaving her legs and whatnot. And actually let her know if you can't make it, even if it's just a small activity.

2. There's a line with P.D.A.. It also depends on the girl. Just because your last girlfriend liked to make out in public, doesn't mean your current girlfriend wants a tongue bath. But it shouldn't kill you to give her a quick kiss goodbye either. She's your girlfriend, not your sister!

3. Calling and texting her every so often, dude you'd better! We're female, we want to know what's going on in your life. You have to be able to communicate if you want your relationship to last. Calling and texting every ten minutes? Chill out! It's not that crucial. If she's hanging out with her friends ten minutes ago, chances are she's still with them.
   

4. Take turns. She shouldn't always be forced to make the plans, and neither should you. If she came to your house last time, next time go to hers. That way nobody ends up feeling like they're the only one putting in the effort. Plus, it's nice to have a change in plans every so often.

5. Soap is sexy. Smelling your stank from the next room is NOT. I know most guys grow out of that stage by the time they graduate, but in case you haven't, please shower. If you need help, your girlfriend might join you :)

6. If you're going to cheat, have the decency to dump your girlfriend first. Seriously. Yea, getting dumped hurts. But it hurts a lot worse to find out the man you fell in love with is nothing but a lying skeeze. A lot of times in relationships, if there is an issue, people start looking for "greener pastures," instead of solving their problems. Please take the time to talk things out, it's worth it.
   

7. Chicks have bodily functions too. Don't run away screaming. Chances are, she's considerably more mortified than you will ever be. And yes, it's okay to pretend you didn't hear it. :P
   

8. Chivalry is NOT dead. Open doors for women, whether they're your girlfriend or your grandma. Seriously, it's just polite. And you totally score brownie points with your girlfriend when you help little old ladies cross the street. The small things in relationships are the ones that matter. And those things are what your girlfriend is going to remember and appreciate you for.

9. Take your woman on a date at least once a month. The pre-declared kind where you pay and where you pick her up. Take her somewhere nice and make her feel special. You don't have to empty out your wallet, but do put some thought into it. Seriously, women appreciate it when their man makes an effort. I know I did.

10. Enough with the hot and cold! Either you like her or you don't. If you just want to play the field, be upfront with your intentions. Don't play games. If you have a girlfriend, treat her well!!! Trust me, that works so much better in the long run.

11. Don't let yourself be belittled. Every so often, a man ends up with a woman who says demeaning things, either on accident or on purpose. You don't deserve that, no one does. Speak up. You deserve someone who makes you feel just as amazing as you are. Just remember, it goes both ways. You need to treat your girlfriend with respect too.It's not okay to put anyone down.
    

I hope you guys got some insight as well as a few giggles by reading that. There will be more to come!

Small Reminder: August 1st is the last day for firewheel's movies under the stars. for details, type in firewheel in the search bar at the top of the blog.

Insta-Cash Pawn Shop Dvd Sales!

Hello lovely people. I know, I know, I've had lots of posts about Dvd's lately. But this one is again, super awesome. There's only one Insta-Cash Pawn shop that's remotely close to any of us, and it's in Dallas. Don't drive forever to get there, but if you live nearby, I'd recommend checking it out.
You can get 11 Dvd's for only $20!!!
And as far as I know, the deal goes on forever. They have 3 or 4 big bays of Dvd's. I asked a lady who works there how long the deal lasts, and she said until they run out of them. (Yay!) Plus, a lot of the pawn shops I have been to have very crappy looking Dvd's, but most of the disks at Insta-Cash Pawn are in nearly perfect shape. If you have any issues with yours, you just have to bring them back to exchange that same day.

The Address:
1207 South Buckner Dallas, Tx 75217

The Phone Number:
(214)398-4112

Small reminder: Tomorrow, July 25, Firewheel Mall will be playing Iron Man in the park for free. Type in "firewheel" in the search bar at the top of the page, and it will pull up the blog with details.

Coming soon: I will have a series of blogs about what to do or not to do in relationships, plus date ideas that won't break the bank. If you're single, no problem, most of the date ideas can still work as hang out ideas with friends.

Awesome Rental Deals At Hollywood

This March, Hollywood Video launched a new program called Powerplay. It is the only program that covers rental, sell through, and concession items! Whether you rent games, movies, or both, this plan can save you a ton! Go to www.hollywoodvideo.com for a location near you!

You have to get a membership first though. Just Bring a current driver's license or state I.D. And an active bankcard(credit/debit/whatever, it just can't be a prepaid card). It's free, the card is just security that you bring back your rentals within 50 days.

There are four types of plans for all types of renters: Diamond, Platinum, Gold, & silver.

Diamond
-The holy mother of all plans.
-Recommended If:
-You rent daily
-You rent more than 8 movies in a month, or at least 5 games
-If you rent games and movies
-You struggle to bring your rentals back on time
-Cost: $39.99 a month
-How it works:
-No late fees/due dates on movies AND games
-You can have 3 items out at once(2 of which can be games) You can exchange them as often as you want!

The next 3 plans are based on a points system. It's a lot to take in at once, but it's worth it. Basically, whatever you pay in dollar amount, you get in points on your account. So, $1=1 point. As you rent, the point value of whatever you rent gets deducted from the points on your account.

If you run out of points, you must upgrade to get more. Basically you pay the difference between plans, and you get the difference in points. The extra awesome part? As long as you're on automatic renewal, any unused points rollover! So if you go out of town, you don't lose your points! Please click on the flier for a better view, the chart on their makes it much easier to understand.

• Point Values:
  
• -Older Movies=2 points/$2, regularly $3.29
  
• -Newer Movies=3 points/$3, regularly $4.79
  
• -Blue Ray Movies=4 points/$4, regularly $5.79
  
• -Games=5 points/$5, regularly $6.99/$7.99

Platinum
- Big Plan, Big Savings
-Recommended If:
-You rent more than 5 movies or more than 3 games in a month
-You like to keep your movies longer than 5 days
-Cost: $24.99 a month
-How It Works:
-3 items out at once(2 of which can be games)
-No due dates on movies, regular 5 day due dates on games
-You get 25 points per month to use, plus, if you run out of points, you can buy more, they're $1 each.
-This is the only plan you can buy extra points for without having to upgrade!

Gold
-More For Less!
-Recommended If:
-You rent more than 3 or 4 movies in a month
-You rent more than 1 game in a month
-You like to keep your movies longer than 5 days
-Cost: $14.99 a month
-How It Works:
-2 items out at once
-No due dates on movies, 5 day due dates on games
-You get 15 points put on your account per month
-If you run out of points, just pay $10 to upgrade to the platinum plan.

Silver
-Every little bit helps!
-Recommended If:
-You don't rent often, 1-3 movies a month, or just 1 game.
-You buy a lot of previously viewed DVD's.
-You like to keep your movies longer than 5 days.
-Cost: $7.99 a month
-How it works:
-1 item out at a time.
-No due dates on movies, 5 day due dates on games.
-You get 8 points put on your account per month.
-If you run out of points, pay just $7 to upgrade to the gold plan.

Perks of all four plans: -50% off the marked price of all previously viewed DVD's! -10% off all concessions! -10% off all used games!

Payment Plans:

• Automatic Renewal On A Credit Card- This is what I would recommend the most. It's simple. On the same day each month, the amount for your Powerplay gets taken out, and any unused points rollover. There's no contract for time, so if you can't afford it one month, just let an employee know, and they can cancel it before the renewal date. It's simple!

• Prepay 3-6 Months With Cash- For those of you who aren't fond of credit cards, this is for you. Your unused points will rollover for the duration of the months you pay for. Once your months are up, your plan will expire, which means your rentals have to be back by then. Don't forget, or you will end up with late fees! This also works if you know of an upcoming vacation.

I know it's a mouthful, so if you aren't sure on something or have questions, you can message me on www.myspace.com/thedailykricket. You can also ask an employee. They know all about the plans, and can help you find what works best for you. Enjoy!

On a side note, I am going to start deleting the blogs whose deals have expired for you guys. That way everything is current. Also feel free to use the search bar at the top of the page if you have something on a specific date or activity in mind. If you are looking for a specific blog, there's a blog archive on the right side of the page for you.

Pre Order Your Games Today!!!

Know of a game you must buy when it comes out? Have kids who want a certain game? Get your butt to Hollywood Video on Beltline!!! Now!!! They're in the middle of a contest and Friday is the last day! Help them out by trading in your old games and/or pre ordering new ones!

To get a membership:
Don't worry, it's fast & easy. To get one, you must be at least 18(make a parent get one if you aren't). You need an I.D.(drivers license, state id, or military id only) and a bankcard(credit, debit, whatever, as long as it's not a prepaid gift card you're good). It takes maybe 5 minutes if that to get you set up with a membership. And don't worry, nothing will ever get charged to your card, as long as you don't keep your rentals for more than 50 days. Details on rentals will be in one of the next few blogs.

Pre-orders- The Basics:
You just have to put $5 down out of the total. This not only guarantees your copy in stock, but you will have totally made that employee's day(seriously). The second your copy comes in, they call you so you can come get it. It saves you the trouble of hunting all over town, and you don't have to worry about your copy getting sold to someone else. For upcoming games, the cut-off date is usually about two weeks before the release date(employees can look that up), so don't put it off! Older games are a bit trickier. Because it's already been released, the employees have to call around to see if one is in stock and can be shipped over. Most of the time, they will be able to find a copy for you, but on the off chance that there isn't one in existence, you can get your $5 back or put it towards something else. I can vouch personally for this though: they will work their butts off to get you your game!

Game Systems:
You can pre-order those too!!! The minimum on those is $10 down, and if there's already one in store you can put it on layaway if you don't have the money yet!

The Low-Down on Layaway & Trade-Ins:
If you're not sure about how layaway works, I'll fill you in. You have to pre order it, so $5 down for games, $10 down for game systems. Then you just pay it off in bits and pieces until you're done. Yes, very simple. Bored with your old games? Wanna get something new instead? Trade them in!!! And here's the extra good part, they'll match Game Stop's prices! Trade ins are not for cash, only for store credit. You can trade in your old movies too! And if you want, you can totally use your trade credit towards a pre-order!


If you want a complete list, ask an employee for a master release schedule, but here are some upcoming games you might want:

1. Madden Nfl 2010-the '09 version rents out like crazy. If you liked it, you're gonna like this one too. It releases 8/14/09. Sports-football. And here's a perk, if they get enough pre-orders for this title, there will be a midnight release! Yup, you'll be able to get it as early as possible! It releases on x360, psp, ps2, ps3, and prices range from $39.99-$59.99, depending on the system.
   
2. Assasin's Creed 2- Also a very popular game, it releases 11/17/09. Action-1st person. Releases on ps3, x360, ds, ps3, & psp.
   
3. Final Fantasy XIII- Everybody loves final fantasy, this one releases 12/31/09. RPG-Action. Releases on ps3 & x360 only. I thought it was just ps3, but i might be mistaken on that.
   
4. Bioshock 2- This one doesn't even come out until 11/3/09, but people are still asking about it like crazy! Action- 1st. Releases on pc, ps3, & x360.
   
5. Call of Duty-Modern Warf 2- another type of game that rents out like crazy. Releases 11/10/09. Action-1st person. Releases on ds, ps3, wii, & x360.
   
6. Fifa Soccer 2010- it just keeps getting better. This releases 10/20/09. Sports-soccer. Releases on ds, ps2, ps3, psp, wii, & x360.
   
7. Wii Sports Resort- I'm pre-ordering this one, it's awesome + comes with new technology for the wii remote. The cut off date for this one is the 16th(i think), so get it while you still can. It's due to release 7/26/09. sports-other. Releases on the wii only.
   

There's games for every type of player, just ask!!!!

All of this applies to all Hollywood Videos, at least in the area, but the one that needs your help with the contest is on beltline!!! Go there! The address is on the flier on the blog before this one, as well as the phone number. They need 10 pre-orders and 10 trade-ins before close of business(12a.m.) on Friday. Seriously, help them out! These people work crazy hard and definitely deserve it! And remember, even if your game doesn't come out for months, that just gives you more time to pay towards it!


If you can't do it by Friday, there's still time of course, that's just when the contest ends.

Movies Under The Stars At Firewheel Mall

Welcome to more free things in the summer!!!

Firewheel mall will not be having their usual celebration of fireworks, but instead are showing movies in the park every Saturday. Apparently, the park is the area behind the fountain in the center, I just never noticed it. Ha, I pay attention so well.

Anyways, the flyer explains everything pretty well. Click on it to see the big, readable version.

For those of you who don't know where Firewheel mall is, go to www.maps.google.com and type in Firewheel mall, it's the first link on there. The movies start at dusk each time. Also bring lawn chairs or blankets and bug spray so you don't get eaten alive by mosquitoes while sitting in the grass. Let me know if you have questions!