I like to define class as an equal mix of Manners and Etiquette.

 

Manners- Being considerate and respectful of others.

 

Etiquette- Set rules or guidelines for behavior in specific situations. (Use of dinner utensils, gift giving, social decorum)

 

Here are some basic tips for both!

Three Guidelines for Great Manners

Treat Everyone With Respect- Don’t save your manners for those you are trying to impress or for those you are grooming to help you in the future.

 

 

Use Tact- It’s always wise to be honest but don’t use honesty as an excuse to say something hurtful.

 

 

Be Considerate- Be on time, show people you value and appreciate them, say “please” and “thank you”, be considerate of other’s comfort.

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From the French, literally translated “I know not what”.

It’s an intangible quality that makes something attractive or alluring.

 

Seduction is all about je ne sais quoi.
It’s about confidence, intelligence, wit and beauty.

 

Being clever and crafty, sexual and haunting.
The way a woman carries herself with a glow of inner peace and tranquility.

 

Je ne sais quoi

 

I was out to dinner the other night at a local 4 star restaurant.

The décor was beautiful the staff gave exceptional personal attention, the food exquisite.
It wasn’t very crowded so I noticed a couple who walked in and was seated near my table.

 

He was an older gentleman, very well dressed and on his arm was a lovely younger woman also very nicely dressed.

By her appearance alone, she looked quite elegant.
But as I watched them periodically throughout the evening, she became less attractive by the minute.

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My friend Anne’s divorce is almost final. Recently a pal of hers approached her with great news. 

 

“I have the perfect man for you.” She declared happily.

 

She went on to tell Anne that a male friend of hers is also single.

 

“He’s an attractive doctor, upstanding in the community, and all around good man.”

 

She told Anne that she mentioned her to him and he seemed interested. Turns out they had in fact met many years before when they were both married at a party but don’t really recall much about each other.

 

Anne agreeing that all of it sounded good and looking forward to dating told her friend that she could pass on to Doctor-Man that she’d be interested in meeting him too.

 

The friend pulled a business card out of her purse and said, “Great, here’s his card, he told me to tell you to call him.”

 

What’s that sound? Oh yeah, it’s the air coming out of her balloon.

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My mother and I went to a neighborhood Mexican restaurant for a late lunch the other day.
After we were seated the hostess asked if we wanted anything to drink. 

 

“Are there any drink specials on Margarita’s?” I asked.

 

“No, at 4:00pm they’ll be half off but nothing right now.”

 

I looked at my watch. It was 3:45. Simple solution I thought.

Smiling brightly I said…
“Alright then, we’ll start with water and in 15 minutes; bring us two Margaritas on special.”

 

She laughed and walked away. Several minutes later she delivered water and chips and salsa then walked over to a cute, young waiter and spoke to him while pointing at us.
I assumed he would be our waiter and she was informing him of the drinks we would need at 4 o’clock.

 

As we perused the menu, my mother noticed that the dinner prices went into effect at 4:00 and if we ordered in a hurry, we’d get our Fajitas half off.

 

We both laughed at the situation.
We wanted half off lunch prices and half off drink prices but we had to order both at just the right time.
While we are by no means cheap, it seemed a shame to miss out on the savings at being at the right place at the right time.

 

Looking at my watch I saw we had 8 minutes to get our order in.

Since everything is ordered through the computer, the prices automatically change at certain times.
I stretched in my seat looking for our waiter and as he rushed by on his way to another table he saw me.

 

“You ordered drinks on special for after 4:00, right?”

He asked looking at the water and chips with a look that read he didn’t know what more we needed.

 

“Yes, but we want to order lunch before 4:00 to get the lunch prices and we only have a few minutes.”

 

He reached for his order pad and I noticed a little shake of his head that said,
“These two are going to be high maintenance…”

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I was discussing the issue of sex and dating recently with a single woman. 

 

Frustrated she asked, “If I have sex too early, I’m easy, if I wait too long, I’m a prude!
If a man likes me enough to wait for sex, won’t the same man still like me enough if he doesn’t have to wait?”

 

It’s an interesting question. I wrote about the value in waiting in my article Dating & Sex. But no matter how many different ways I tried to explain my position to this woman, she was stuck on the double standard and tried to ‘argue’ that because it wasn’t fair for men to want sex early with women and then judge them for it, she was going to ‘do what she wanted, even if that meant having sex on the first date sometimes and to hell with the double standard.’

 

I told her that was a fine choice so long as she would be comfortable with the consequences.
That only frustrated her more….

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