Jimjilbangs and Naked People

Gail basically thinks travel is all about being slapped across the face with the new and strange. With this perspective in mind, she again failed to fully prep Michelle on what was coming, specifically what a "jimjilbang," was. The first word that comes to Michelle's mind in retrospect is "naked" and if you know Michelle at all, you know she really doesn't like that word. A jimjilbang is basically a huge bathhouse reminiscent of Roman days where everyone lounges in saunas and hot tubs of different temperatures, or takes advantage of the showers. All of this, of course, is done without clothes. We're talking 50 naked women milling around everywhere. One look at Michelle's face told Gail she had achieved "traveling" in Korea -- the getting slapped with the new part. As Skippy is not that kind of blog, we can't post photos to prove that Michelle dove right in, so you'll have to take our word for it.

It was after 2 a.m. by the time we arrived back from the club and wrestled our backpacks out of the lockers to, yes, add to them. A heroic surge of courage (and the fact that it was so late almost no one was around) strengthened Michelle to strip down and march past the nearby "ajumas," older Korean women into the bathhouse. She didn't stop there, either. Foregoing paying for a personal scrub down from a nearby attendant at a washing station, we indulged in the showers, sauna and jetted hot tub before we turned in for the night at 3:00.

This was easier said that done, however, as we had to scavenge around for floor space in the co-ed sleeping room. Dressed in our complementary pink jimjilbang uniforms, we rented towel-like blankets and settled on either side of a couple that unfortunately decided to stay up a little later. There, amidst about 200 other sleeping post-party young people, we managed about 4.3 hours of sleep before setting out for the palaces in the morning.

Made for Two

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Michelle and I are both hopeless romantics.

That’s why it’s no surprise that we were enchanted with the hottest new couples item on the market: Smittens! As you can see, they are perfect for holding hands with a significant other on bitterly cold days like the ones I’m experiencing in Seoul. We hope you like red as much as we do, because that’s the only choice, although hearts are optional. The only drawback we can see with this holiday must is that we’re having trouble thinking of guys who would actually use them. We did, however, come up with a few winners, and curiously enough, most of them are TORREY guys, confirming what we’ve suspected all along: They’re saps. The following individuals were carefully selected from a lengthy list of candidates:
-Dustin McCurry (Our first “Definitely!” candidate, just because.)
-Scott Munekawa (One condition: Only when no one is looking.)
-Michelle’s dad (Because the hilarity of her parents’ over-the-top affection is not lost on anyone.)
-Bradley Clarke (Because anyone who proposes in the Hagia Sophia’s got mega class.)
-Dr. John Mark Reynolds (Because his FB profile pic of him grabbing his wife’s butt gives us license to assume he’s OK with PDA.)

Note: This item is untested, as neither Michelle nor I have boyfriends and we don’t plan on using Smittens together.

Club Intrepid

When you're squashed like sardines in the back of your brother's Dodge Intrepid and Fall Out Boy is on max volume, you have but one option -- DANCE.

This is how me, David (my bro Ryan's friend) and Gail pass the time during a 7 hour drive back to So Cal.

Lizards, Gel and Sexy

After a painfully hilarious conversation, Michelle and I have compiled a short list of our favorite fashion pet peeves. Girls, if you can't bring yourself to confront your brother or boyfriend on their fashion crimes, just send them this way.

1.) Lizard Hunting Sandals
You've probably heard that sandals and socks are uncool. Michelle and I are going to take it a step further and make things bit more specific and simple: just don't wear these kind of sandals, period. We don't know what they're called, so we've dubbed them the "lizard hunting sandals" because they're definitely for nature nerds. Common offenders for this one tend to be very stubborn and/or hopeless.

2.) More hair gel=more sexy

At least that's what this guy seems to think.

Considering the fact that the Mexican population is still increasing in the States, I am seriously considering investing in hair gel as it appears it is (still) quite popular in the Hispanic male population. While I'm looking forward to my guaranteed fortune, there are some drawbacks that only a full force grassroots campaign can correct.

Drawbacks:
1.) It looks greasy and dirty while at the same time making your head look disproportionately large (see left photo). I suppose this could be similar to when male birds fluff out their feathers to appear larger in their mating dances.
2.) The "I heart hair gel" look definitely diminishes chances of someone (anyone) running their fingers through your hair.
3.) You could lose your job. A dude named John Graham got suspended from his job at the London airport for using too much hair gel.

Michelle's interjection: a bit of gel is a very good thing. As seen below, a dab can significantly improve a gentleman's prospects with a lady and simultaneously contribute to his marksmanship.

3.) A beard is worth a thousand words

Beards are basically billboards that can communicate one of two things: a) Yes, I still spend less money on cosmetics than my girlfriend or b) Maybe if I just grow a distinguished beard, nobody will notice that I haven't applied deodorant in 3 days.

A beard done right is a rare thing indeed, although the New York Times seems to think it's the latest and greatest way to assert masculinity against a wave of metro fashions.

Keep in mind, however, that the beard may not be the best policy among the ladies. I'll let this Psychology Today article excerpt speak to that:

Our results reflected the current cultural preference for clean-shaven
faces. Sixty percent of male respondents were cleanshaven, 21 percent had a
mustache only, 19 percent had a beard and mustache. Less than 1 percent had a
beard without a mustache.
Men guessed correctly that women would prefer clean-shaven men. Yet while only 14 percent of women overall named "beard with
mustache" as their first choice, 55 percent of women whose partner had a beard
ranked it first. Once again, women may have brought their judgment in line with
their partner.
Most of the comments about facial hair were about beards, and
the positive ones were about neatly trimmed beards. Women tended to associate poorly groomed or neglected beards with generalized slovenliness. The goatee was singled out for derision.