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Quick, what’s the first thing a girl notices when you invite her back to your place? Is it the parade of fire ants in the kitchen? Those weird splotches of mold and lichen covering the bathroom ceiling? The dust bunnies under the bed that have evolved fangs and flippers? The answer is all three, which means you have a lot of work to do to prepare your place for tonight’s hot date. Here’s how to go about it.

1. Clean the bathroom. Most guys tend to think of their bathrooms in functional terms, meaning a toilet (for example) should be no more or less clean than is required to do its job. As a result, what’s “clean enough” to the average guy will be “unbelievably, repulsively filthy” to his distaff counterpart. Get a brush and mop and prepare to spend a few hours undoing the damage of the last two or three months (or years, if you’ve had a really long cold streak).

2. Wash the dishes–not just the dishes in the sink. Run all your plates, glasses and silverware through the dishwasher at least once and stack them neatly where they belong. You don’t know who’s going to “accidentally” open a cabinet, who will then “accidentally” scream and run out the door when she sees that giant spider putting on a bib and preparing to feast on a tasty fly.

When planning your vacation, it’s always a good idea to plan way ahead. Traveling is a big enough event without adding undo stress brought on by lack of proper organization. When your vacation is going to be a cruise, it’s even more important to plan ahead, especially if you are planning on getting some package holidays for the family. These often have special family rates and go quickly. Planning your cruise is one thing, booking it is the important part.

We don’t always know months ahead of time of a trip we are going to take. Many couples, with their busy work schedules, don’t get around to planning and scheduling their vacation until a month or two in advance. Often this is not enough time to get the cruise of your choice. Do not automatically give up. Many times they have cancellations and can get you on after all.

Certain cruises are more popular than others, however, and these are the ones that usually need the most advance notice for booking. Many couples don’t like to book too far in advance because they are often required to pay at that time, which is a problem for some. Some companies, however, will only require a certain down payment, with the balance being due at a later date. Another advantage of early booking is you often get discounts.