Sex: Sperm allergy is a real thing

Based on this post's sexy headline, I could have selected today's picture from an entirely different category, but I'd rather not get slapped with one of those "mature audience" labels. I know it works for some people, but still. I try to keep it somewhat fucking classy.

IN THE NEWS: "Some poor men are apparently allergic to their own semen, developing a mysterious flu-like illness after they have an ejaculation. The condition, known as post-orgasmic illness syndrome, has been documented since 2002. Symptoms include feverishness, runny nose, extreme fatigue and burning eyes, which can last for up to a week. Some physicians had suggested that the disorder was psychosomatic, but Marcel Waldinger, a professor of sexual psychopharmacology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and his colleagues demonstrated in two papers in the Journal of Sexual Medicine that the syndrome was allergic in nature and that it might be possible to desensitize men to the problem."

I try not to junk up this space with a bunch of science, but basically they "demonstrated" the allergy by a "standard skin-prick allergy test using a diluted from of their own semen."

Um, yah...they injected them with their own man chowder! I thought that was worth noting, because it's fun when we share. Oh, and also, men in the study with the symptoms came back with a positive allergic reaction. So that basically proves that notion.

In our day to day, we forget some of life's simple pleasures. Just be glad you can get off without inducing a week-long illness!

Health: Kellan Lutz does it doggy style

Twilight meathead Kellan Lutz knows a thing or two about staying in shape, but physical fitness isn't just about pumping iron or injecting steroids; it's about overall wellness. There are many other ways to improve your health, such as heavy petting (including but not limited to sexy times).

That's right, animal friends are good for your health! Having a furry friend improves:

* Overall mood (I've read that people without pets are 3 times more likely to experience symptoms of depression)

* Blood pressure (Even better than pills, druggie)

* Stress levels (Which is why evil bad guys have cats on their lap, world domination is hella stressful)

* Cholesterol & Triglyceride levels (Healthy shit, no additional comment)

* Feelings of loneliness (My pussy is always there for me; she doesn't judge or care what I look like -- only that I feed her regularly)

* Pets (and boys with light, fluffy chest hair) also make good cuddlers.


Peep more pics of Kellan over at Celebuzz

UPDATE: BEING FORCEFULLY HAPPY TOTALLY WORKS

My Ohio trip was great and abiding by my celebrity travel tips totally paid off! I found that by actively TRYING to be super sweet actually made me, in turn, feel super good. Although not everybody replied in kind (not expected) the majority of people smiled back and spoke to me in a more polite manner than the bitch ahead in line. Highly recommended.

Lifestyle: Travel tips

How awesome would it be to have Alan Cumming as your flight steward? He's such a catty bitch! (or at least he is in the little fantasy I have going right now) Not a tray table would be out of place, least someone set him off. Fed-up flight attendant Steven Slater has nothing on this queen! Anyways, I'm slightly off topic. I aim to practice what I preach, so I'm abiding by my own list of celebrity resolutions to have more fun and focus on family. And...I'm off to Ohio!

Generally, I hate to travel. It is just such a pain in the ass. Some very good advice that I will try my damnedest to follow is that of Justin Kredible, a hot bitch who is on the road constantly as a performer.

In all the hustle and bustle, remember that good manners never hurt anybody. "Gratitude is a great overarching attitude when you travel," Justin says. "I try to be as effervescent and sweet as I can to the skycaps, bag guys, and ticket checkers - because most of the people they meet tend to be in bad moods. They’re meeting people who are always tired and rushed, so I try to be a breath of fresh air for them and it definitely pays off."

Lifestyle: Channing Tatum is shirtless & unashamed

The delicious Channing Tatum tells QG that he has no shame. My kind of guy! Dude used to be a stripper, which scores another point in my playbook. Win! Chan tells GQ that it was all part of a plan he hatched with a buddy (oh to be that changing room bestie!)

"[We said] okay, we’re going to do this for a little while just to be crazy and insane; then we’re getting out ... I had wanted to tell people ... I’m not ashamed of it. I don’t regret one thing. I’m not a person who hides shit."

This hot bitch knows that looks only get one so far: "No one’s calling me for lawyer roles. I still have a lot to do to prove myself."

Most everyone has had less than ideal job situations or whatever. Accept the past and set your sights on the future -- time only goes forward!

Channing Tatum: "My penis is fantastic"

See more of his GQ shots at Celebuzz

Health: 10 U.S. cities with the worst drinking water

Is your city on the list? Full article at MSNBC

10. Jacksonville, Fla.
9. San Diego
8. North Las Vegas
7. Omaha
6. Houston
5. Reno
4. Riverside County, Calif.
3. Las Vegas
2. Riverside, Calif.
1. Pensacola, Fla.

Lifestyle: Be a lover!

This year, my sweets, I want to take y'all back. All the way back to my very first blog post...EVAR! It is sort of hard to believe I wasn't blogging before 2001, but whatever. Even though I'd worked in what was called "new media" (ha! old people internet reference) starting with AOL in 1999, I was at a slow crawl when it came to expressing my love online. My thoughts on the holiday haven't changed much.

&hearts &hearts &hearts

V-Day

So here we are, Valentine's day again... does this holiday suck, or what? Everyone seems to hate this one.

People who don't have a "special someone" feel left out, alone, and like a looser in general. Those with a "sweetie" are forced to endure the pressure of the holiday. It's like being told to "say something funny" out of the blue. Can't do it.

You're funny when you're funny (most of the time without even trying), and romantic when you are feeling romantic. You simply cannot mandate such things, puh-lease!

Try as I might this year, though, I can't hate Valentine's Day. Not because I'm in love, or even because I'm seeing someone (which I'm not, unless you count the one who already has a boyfriend...but that's another story). No, this year v-day is turning out to be something different. I received candy from my mom, cards signed by co-workers, and e-cards with dirty messages such as, "On a day in the past that sucked, I hope that this year you get fucked".

Yes, this year is different. This year it's not about the pressure of either finding someone to be with, or getting the person I'm with something good; it's about the true love I have with the people in my life who care enough to make me their Valentine.

I want this trend to continue. I want things to go back to grade school, when you bought a box of Valentine's so you could give one to everyone you knew. Screw all that mushy love crap! Let's have some fun.

Feb. 14, 2001


Artwork: My Hands Are My Heart by Gabriel Orozco

Beauty: 4 hair don'ts

I'm completely mesmerized by Troy Polamalu's hair! Not everybody can pull off this look. Thanks to my close friend (and celebrity hair stylist) Andrea, I've learned that a good head of hair is so much more than a good cut. A great mane is all about how you care for it -- and here are 4 ways to fuck it up!

* Don't rub vigorously with towel; lightly pat/squeeze instead

* Don't use brushes with metal balls or synthetic hairs; a boar bristle brush is best

* Don't dry too close to the scalp; nothing says "undateable" like a head full of burn blisters

* Don't always dry on the highest setting or you'll do damage (you can also switch to the cold setting when hair is mostly dry to add shine)

See the Top 10 Hair Mistakes people make when they're fighting the hot.

Health HNT: Then I forgot about that not smoking thing

I blame the cosmos! Not the divine powers of the universe, the drink sweetie. Drinking makes me want to smoke, and I'm known to have a drink. In fact starting on New Years Eve. I've been drunk since then!

...not really. True life is a boring version of events, I know. Still my occasional smoke/drinking binges have led to daily cigarettes. So bad! Slap me in the face with a wet noodle. I'm going to stop. Swear.


Happy Half-Nekkid Thursday!

See all Half Nekkid Thursday posts

Home: Bathroom refinery

After I gave my bathroom a makeover (see pics), by which I mean excavated from underneath a mountain of cosmetics, there was still a little something lacking about the whole situation.

I sort of ruined the whole before & after thing by not taking a picture of what used to be where this white cube is that I'm sexily groping while shooting an impressive light beam out of my face. What stood there before was a rickety old bamboo magazine rack that held my hair dryer and flat iron for some reason. They just never found room under the sink. I don't know. This is me we're talking about, it doesn't have to make sense.

What DOES make sense is continuing to organize and maximize my space. As I re-reorganized I put all the cleaning products in one bin together, rather than everything randomly freeloading about. It looks much neater. I feel more organized. Everything is tidy and contained.

I seriously doubt I'll ever become a neat freak, but I can strive to be better about having a clean environment. That way, I never have a mess like this (as seen before my bathroom makeover):

UPDATE: What do you love about yourself?

So, I got to thinking about how today's post was called "love yourself" but focused on the rather defeating signs of self loathing. It sort of ended on a down note. While it's important to recognize negative factors at work, we still have to learn how to counter act them. There are exercises to improve confidence that really do work to change how we view ourselves.

One of the easiest ways is to identify one simple thing you love about yourself. Your eyes? Your smile? Your math skills? Your ability to chase a shot with two beers at once? Do you breathe in and out real good?

Find something. Love yourself

Health: Love yourself

Continuing my hard on for James Franco, who appears to have a hard on for...James Franco?!? High self-esteem is a powerful predictor of health and longevity, because science. Loving ourselves may contribute to overall well being, but not everybody is such a narcissist. I mean that lovingly, James!

You may want to check yourself for signs of negative self-esteem, because it is totally possible to improve your sense of self worth and learn to see your value to the world. Look at it this way, you're here anyways so you might as well make something out of the experience. Don't be your own worst enemy, because life can be super fun. If you find yourself doing any of the following, you're not alone. We all have faults and short comings. Deal with it!

SIGNS YOU'RE LACKING SELF-LOVE

* Frequent negative self-talk, such as, "I'm a failure," or "I'll never amount to anything."

* Preoccupation with your flaws and weaknesses.

* Need for constant reassurance from others, which doesn't relieve insecurity.

* Inability to accept compliments or positive feedback.

* Fear of failure, which holds you back from succeeding.

* Difficulty handling stressful situations.

STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD

I GOT A FREAKING AWARD! This is going straight to my ego.

Many thanks to Go Phunk Yourself, who has honored me with a Stylish Blogger Award! Phunk Factor says: "A reason I started walking down the road of feeling and looking better is because of this blog; Better by 30. Westopher is the owner of this blog and he simply kills it. He's my daily feel good blog to read, plus he posts some sweet eye candy."

The rules of this award are as follows;

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this high honor.
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 5 other bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award


7 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About Me: As I write a blog that is essentially ALL about ME (or at least reflects my personal interests and philosophies) I feel like y'all know more than 7 things about me already. Everybody is well aware of my backstory -- I went from closet crackhead to living my dreams as a professional writer in the span of a year, thus becoming BETTER BY 30. That's some pretty personal shit, so I'm not sure what more I can share. I will try.

1) I have two brothers; one older and one younger, making me the middle child. However my older bro lived with his mom, so I was also sort of the firstborn. I'm very proud of both of them; my little brother Rory is raising a family and in training to be a firefighter, my older brother Lee is a well-known graphic artist who has worked at both Marvel and DC comics (click his name to see his awesome artwork).

2) Most people presume everything I write is present time, which is almost never the case. I hardly ever blog about something as it is happening, while I'm right in the thick of it. Instead, I wait to see how it plays out and thus fully realize my own thoughts on the matter.

3) I had a humor blog before BETTER BY 30 under the name "Fergie" because my last name is Ferguson and everybody with that last name is called Fergie or Ferg or some variation. Then that Black Eyed Peas chick got super famous and people started asking me why I was "copying" her. I had very few regular readers until I stopped trying to make it about me, focused on a message of empowerment through self-improvement and re-branded the whole thing. Now I have more readership then I ever did before. So, I'm not bitter that bitch stole my name.

4) The nickname Westopher came about in a vision. My friend Chris had a glorious wet dream about my signature scent, Wes+2pher. It's so absurd; therefore I love it.

5) While I've written about kitty, most people don't actually know her name. She's called Chaos. There's good reason behind that choice, especially since as a kitten she would jump off tables and belly flop onto the hardwood floor -- sliding about halfway across the room. She's fuckin' nuts and I love it.

6) I truly believe my grandmother (who watched me as a child while my mom worked) spoke to me after her passing, by several years. I don't mean it was a voice in my head or a dream.

7) I talk shit and keep secrets; as a professional gossip, it's basically my job and stuff. Although you won't find negativity here -- I try super hard to project confidence and optimism -- my good girlfriends know I'm not always sugar coated. My positivity is not an act, I'm fully committed to making every day better and truly believe everyone should live their dreams, no matter how new age hipster that sounds, yet like everyone else I need to vent my frustrations. Even so, I have a code of ethics when it comes to keeping secrets. If you were to tell me something in confidence, I would never betray that trust.


5 Stylish Bloggers: Oh, forget this! The last part of the "Stylish Blogger Award" is really super hard. There are way more than 5 blogs that I read regularly and therefore more than 5 people that deserve a mention. Rules are rules.

Charging Through Life: My friend Sam and I have known each other since college. Now we live on the same street in WeHo. Sam describes his blog as "a journal of the lessons I learn and the mistakes and progress I make." Clearly, I co-sign that sentiment (and very loudly pat myself on the back for being so damn inspiring).

Cogent Ascending: You know all those things you wanted to say but couldn't because either you're not very quick witted or you thought better of what an asshole it would make you sound like even though you were right? This guy just says it.

Hard Liquor, Soft Holes: OMG this bitch. Is. So. Funny. One of the very few completely anonymous bloggers I follow. Who does that anymore? Here I thought the whole point of the web was screaming for attention in every direction at once, but it appears SOME people have interests that extend beyond themselves. Like, all the way to their clothes.

The ART and SCIENCE of [beauty]: Anthony! By far the very best thing about social media is the ability to meet other crazy bitches worldwide and extend my network of soul sisters. This kid just gets it, gets me, gets beauty. Sadly he does not post with great frequency, but you're likely to learn something when he does. Knowledge and beauty are powerful things.

TOY COUTURE: Dead sexy. Delicately vulgar. There are few people who can speak frankly about the nasty ass things people do sexually with such candor or lack of judgment. Another one who doesn't update enough, but a good blog should have a timeless quality. Spend an afternoon browsing around and you're likely to get a giant brain boner.