Setting the Table: A Life Skill

The modern gentleman plays an active role in all aspects of hosting a dinner party. Even if you aren’t as skilled as Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey in the kitchen, you should help out in other ways such as setting the table for dinner.

Here’s how to set the table.

1. How many people will be in attendance? If there are children coming, consider a separate children’s table.
2. Where do you want everyone to sit? Consider a few matters of convenience such as the cook sitting near the kitchen door, parents sitting next to children, or which people would interact best with others. There are also matters of tradition to consider, such as a male guest traditionally being seated on the hostess’s right, and a female guest traditionally being seated at the host’s right. Often times people alternate between men and women, but this is no longer necessary.
3. Do I use a tablecloth? It’s entirely up to the host, and depends what type of food you are serving and mood you hope to create. If you choose to use a table cloth, remember to have the middle crease run straight down the center of the table and it should hang about 18 inches off the table. If it’s a buffet dinner, it should hang to the floor.
4. Where do I position the plates, glasses and utensils? Use the picture below to guide you:

A few things to remember:

• Fold the napkins and place them in either the center of each diner’s place, under the forks on the left, in an empty water glass.
• Place the large dinner fork to the left and the smaller salad for to the left of the dinner fork.
• Place a knife to the right of the napkin, with the cutting edge toward the plate. This is an old custom to prevent aggressive behavior at the dinner table.

When do I begin clearing the table? When the last person if finished eating, you may begin to clear the plates. When the diner has finished, he/she signals this by setting the fork and knife parallel to each other, so they lie either horizontally across the plate or on the diagnol at approximately 3:30.

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Tips for a Gentleman On a Budget

Money may be a little tight sometimes, but a gentleman always finds ways to take care of that special someone in his life. Here are a few suggestions on how to save money without sacrificing the experience.

Free Movie Tickets: Go to Fandango.com to look for local showtimes. Next to the theater listing, there’s a blue button that says “Get Ticket Free!” To receive free movie tickets, all you need to do is sign up for a free offer such as online music, restaurants.com, or free online games.

Restaurant.com: You can purchase a $25 gift certificate for just $10 to thousands of restaurants. Better still, type in the promo code “spork” and you’ll receive another 50-80% off. I just purchased $75 of gift certificates for $9. Amazing!

Monitor GroupOn.com: There’s a good chance your girlfriend already monitors this site, but you can always beat her to it! Groupon negotiates huge discounts on popular local goods, services and cultural events. You can get a great deal, learn about a new local business, and experience your home city without having to pay full price.

Rent a Movie: If you still go to Blockbuster, it’s time to move on. Use your local RedBox at the grocery store to rent a movie for $1 a day. Or visit your local library to find a huge selection of movies for free.

Visit a Museum: Many museums are free or ask for donations. Get cultured and save money.

Don't use a coupon on a first date. And be creative on how you plan the evening. You can surprise her or plan in advance for a date night. As long as you are focusing all your attention on her, you can just make a joke about using a coupon. After all, it's the quality time together that matters!

It's Football Season: Your Guide to Referees

We’ve questioned their judgment, their eyesight, and sometimes even their sanity. But have you ever wondered how football referees actually do their job? Or how much the gentlemen in stripes make? With the kick off to the NFL season tonight, it’s the perfect time to study the gentlemen millions of us watch, and almost always forget.

The Legendary Ed Hochuli

You can’t talk NFL officiating without Ed Hochuli. Ed Hochuli once had a staring contest with a scoreboard, and won. He once killed a defensive back with a stern talking to. The NFL must ask his permission to award the Super Bowl trophy. When he’s thirsty, he drinks a pint of peanut butter. His first down call makes him the only person who can punch a cyclops between the eye. And he has counted to infinity – twice.

Who is Ed Hochuli? Google “Ed Hochuli” and you’ll see 40,600 results. Watch an NFL game in which he is refereeing, and you’ll never forget. He kicks off the 2010 NFL season as the head referee in the Colts vs. Texans game on September 12 at 1pm.

There are two things you should watch for when watching Ed Hochuli. First is his physical presence. As a former college football player at UTEP, he’s the only referee that looks to be the same size as the players. In fact, many players joke to him during games that he should be playing on their team. NFL player Tim Dwight once challenged him to a bicep measuring contest and lost.

The second thing to look for Hochuli’s long winded explanations on the field. Famously in a 2007 game while nullifying a holding penalty, he announced through his microphone, “There was no foul on the play. It was not a hold. The defender was just overpowered.”

Here are a few YouTube favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mndhtikHHOg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u2kXnGov9w

Hochuli leads an exemplary personal life as well. He’s a trial lawyer in Arizona and partner in a law firm. He has six children and lives in Phoenix. Despite this size, Hochuli runs marathons in his spare time, having completed thirteen races. Hochuli is truly a forgetful gentleman.

Salary

NFL referees currently earn between $42,295 to $120,998 per season. That’s $2,643 to $7,500 per game. Not bad for a weekend job.

NFL referees are the only major sports officials to not be full time salaried employees. The NFL hires them on a contract basis, which allows the league to eliminate unqualified officials without having to show cause as is the case of full-time employees. Many referees are partners in law firms and CEOs.

How does this compare to the other major sports?

Major League Baseball umpires earn $100,000 to $280,000 per season with a $50,000 expense account and free first-class air travel. That’s $617 to $1,728 per game.

National Basketball Association referees earn $90,000 to $225,000 per season, $1,100 to $2,742 per game.

National Hockey League officials earn $115,000 to $220,000 per season, $1400 to $2,683 per game.

The Officiating Crew

During NFL and college football games, there are seven officials on the field.

Referee: This is the head honcho, the one who announces penalties, flexes his biceps on first downs and sticks his head into the replay booth. He wears a white hat, while all the others wear a black hat. He sports an “R” on the back of his uniform. Ed Hochuli is a referee.

Umpire: In 2009, there were five major injuries suffered by umpires (including two concussion and three knee injuries), so the NFL moved the umpires from behind the defensive linebackers to the offensive backfield. This move has created some controversy, so you may hear announces and players mentioning umpires throughout the season. Look for the “U” on back of the uniform.

Head linesman: When a team is close enough to a first down that it requires a measurement, it’s the head linesman who leads the “chain gang” over from the sideline. He also is responsible for keeping time.

Judges x 4: The line judge, field judge, side judge and back judge. For field goals, it’s the field and back judges that get to make the heroic “field goal is good!” signal. All the judges wear numbers on their uniforms, along with the initials LJ, FJ, SJ and BJ.

The Officiating Theme of the Year

Video technology is changing the game of officiating. Imagine making a judgment decision in front of millions of people, seeing a video replay proving you made the wrong decision, then announcing back to the millions of people that you were wrong. It takes humility to do this job. It’s thankless. And it requires one to be trustworthy, responsible, articulate, and having good judgment, the characteristics of a gentleman.