Spring seems to be the times for birthdays (including mine), so I’m throwing this rant out there since it’s “stuff we hate” day at Urban Monarch. I hate haphazard restaurant birthday parties.
It seems to be the default birthday activity to go out to eat. So you invite 20 of your friends to your [...]

Every morning I ride the train to work. 
Every morning I see some dork(s) pulling a backpack behind them.
If your backpack’s so heavy you can’t possibly wear it? 
GET A SMALL ROLLER STYLE CARRY-ON BAG. 
If your backpack isn’t so heavy you can’t wear it?

If Greek mythology confuses you (and it probably should), Ivan Kozik over at ludios.org is here to help.  He’s created a family tree of all the greek gods.
A genealogy tree of eighty Greek mythology characters, starting from Chaos. It includes the 14 Olympian gods and many others. Unlike most trees, each god only appears once [...]

About a million years ago when I was just an unwrinkled pup frolicking in the yard of my first caffeinated experiences, Starbucks was an often hit destination to get my fix.
Then I tried my first decent cup of home brewed java (It was Lavazza, a brand that still stands near the top of the heap [...]

“You’re not right
in the head
and nor am I
and this is why;
this is why
I like you
I like you
I like you”
-Morrissey
2007 is shaping up to be chock full of concerty goodness. 
Confirmed outings for Placebo, Junior Boys and Nine Inch Nails is a good start.  Rumored tours from Goldfrapp, Ladytron (possibly supporting NIN!!!) and even Bjork sweeten the [...]

The Epoch Times Austrailia has a short, handy introduction to the magic power of cufflinks.

Normally I’m not a forwarder of internet memes, but this one made the cut.
This is a pretty accurate portrayal of a man in a relationship. We often read stories of women cheating because they are lonely or feel neglected. After all, it is the man’s role to make the money and supply the love: give, [...]

This past Thursday night found Greg, Zach and I taking a detour from our normal Lodo haunts.  In search of adventure, we headed East on the notorious “15″ bus which runs up Colfax avenue, aka one of the sketchiest stretches of road in the mile high city.
We soon found ourselves at a dive bar deep [...]

In news perhaps only to me, Google has released version 4 of their jaw-dropping Google Earth software.
The most interesting improvement in my mind is the implementation of “Google 3d warehouse” rendering to some of the cityscapes, happily including Denver (and even featuring my former apartment building, pictured above).

Fellow Urban Monarch Cash has a really cool blackjack setup at his place.  I regularly find myself there drinking tasty beverages and splitting 10’s (just kidding).  While I’m sure cash would be ready to inform that shuffling poker chips is neither hip nor useful, I think it’s cool and found this video interesting.  Now I’m [...]

At Urban Monarch we care about our readers. Recently I wrote a snippet about the acceptance of oral sex in young America. This warranted a cry for help from one of our readers, Sameera. No man in need of help, especially an Urban Monarch reader, should go without the help of his [...]

Alberto Forero, a New York based graphic designer, has an interesting set of pictures up on Flickr. Collected from a book sale, he has photographed a selection of 19th century shipping posters.

Virtue and vice.  Naughty and nice. 
The dichotomy between the two is something that’s always fascinated me.  Being no stranger to temptation, (and blessed with a life that seldom requires avoiding it) gives me a somewhat skewed perspective on the more, ahem, ‘morally disciplined’ members of society.
One facet of America then that’s particularly intriguing to me [...]

Recently I pulled my camera out of last night’s pockets to find the lens was stuck somewhere between in and out. Turning the camera on I saw error 14, apparently a common problem with canon digital cameras. Turning to the web I found Fixya, a website dedicated to fixing consumer products.

Having spent more miserable moments than I care to recall absorbing the hell-bent anger (and general stupidity) of customers’ complaints while working at a call center, my one resignation-related regret would have to be the lack of an exit interview.
One Verizon tech support agent was a bit ‘luckier’.

I’ve been stoked about the Tarantino and Rodriguez double feature for a while, and it only seems to get better.  At SXSW Rodriguez stated that he’s working on a straight to DVD spin off movie.
But the big scoop of the day came when Robert revealed that he’s planning a solo movie for actor Danny Trejo’s [...]

Delving deep into the female psyche can at once be both risky, and for us men, nearly impossible.
We at Urban Monarch are constantly seeking ways to discover what lies beneath the surface of the ladies in our lives.
What better way then by reading the anonymous, true confessions of thousands of married women?

 
 
Caitlin Flanagan, of the Atlantic Monthly, explores the topic of the now apparantly non-taboo subject of oral sex among teenagers.  From Judy Blume novels through current media she looks to answer the question of why young girls are giving more blow jobs. 

A new addition to the wide world of Wikis is making a sudsy splash.. into my heart.

There have been a lot of stories making the news about positive health benefits associated with moderate drinking.
What about good old fashioned calories though?

Dealing with a corporate firewall that’s rivaled only by that of the NSA, my entertainment options at work are severely limited.
I’m always delighted to find a fun site that for the time being at least is still reachable from cube farm.