A lot of guys dread the costume party invitation. Getting dressed up like an idiot. Going out in public. Which you'd probably never do if your girl didn't beg you to go. So why does she get so excited when that invite comes? And why is it so important to her to dress up for Halloween? And drag you into it? I asked three sex and dating experts for their thoughts.

The first thing they tell me is that many women have elaborate fantasies (hence the success of trashy romance novels and the rise of Fabio), but they rarely ever get a chance to act any of them out. Dr. Trina Read, a national sex columnist (trinaread.com), explains, "Many women love to push their dreary, minutia-driven daily persona aside and become a sexy alias."

"Halloween is the only day of the year when we have an excuse to pretend to be someone we are not," adds Adele Testani, Co-Founder and President of HurryDate (hurrydate.com). "By dressing up, we have an excuse to act like our character, and do things we may not have done if we weren't wearing a costume."

It's like dating a whole different woman for one night. Score one for costumes.

April Masani, author of the best-selling books Date Out of Your League and Think & Date Like a Man, (AskApril.com), says, "Putting on a costume gives women 'psychological permission" to behave differently than they normally do. ...More

Depending on how you use it, music can be a great wingman. It can say what you can't, set a mood, provide "inspiration".

Or music can just be a classless, obscene, obnoxious cockblocker.

So if you're with someone for the first time - and you're looking for more than a one night stand (I'm not judging) - you might want to keep these 12 great, but inappropriate, songs off your playlist. Lest she get the wrong idea.

On the other hand, if she's the kind of girl you want to get the wrong idea, well then, think of this list as a jump start to an interesting, and hopefully exhausting, evening.

(Note: I purposely kept "Sexual Healing", any song by Barry White, etc., etc., off the list. Too obvious.)


SO HOTT - Kid Rock (2007)

Sample lyrics:
You got a body like the devil and you smell like sex
I can tell you're trouble but I'm still obsessed

Because you know you're
SO HOT I wanna get you alone
SO HOT I wanna get you stoned
SO HOT I dont wanna be your friend
I wanna fuck you like I'm never gonna see you again


CLOSER - Nine Inch Nails (2004)

Sample lyrics:
You let me violate you
You let me desecrate you
You let me penetrate you
You let me complicate you
Help me...I broke apart my insides
Help me...I got no soul to sell
Help me..the only thing that works for me
Help me get away from myself

i want to fuck you like an animal ...More

Now this is what I like to hear: About 90% of you plan to keep on grilling even though the weather is turning colder. 23% of you will only be doing it some weekends and for tailgates, but a full two-thirds of you say you'll be grilling just as much as you do in the summer. Excellent. I'll keep the grill reviews and recipes going right through the winter months.

The 7% of you that plan to put the grill in storage for the winter, you guys can bookmark the posts until spring. And the 3.3% of you that are afraid of the flame? I suggest you grab a bag of charcoal and a set of tongs and fire up a big piece of meat. You don't know what you're missing.

You get invited to a costume party. She's thrilled. You're dreading it. She gets to dress in something sexy and look incredible even in public on the way there. You? Well, you're figuring with your lack of creativity and limited costume choices, you'll just look like a dork. All night.

Here are a dozen costumes from lingerie maker Shirley of Hollywood that achieve two goals: One, make her look and feel sexy, and two, give you something decent to wear that won't have you hiding in a corner all night.

Eight of them are couples costumes, and four are sexy ones just for her that you can easily create a companion costume for with little effort. And don't worry about how you look. All eyes will be on her anyway.

And because we're here to help you this Halloween, Shirley of Hollywood and I are going to select two lucky winners who will each get to select a couple's costume of their choice from these eight. We'll pick the winners this Friday, October 19th, to make sure we have plenty of time to ship the costumes to you before Halloween. Click here to enter.

And if you want to buy a set of costumes for yourself - they are also sold individually, you don't have to get the set - you can go to www.shirleyofhollywood.com for store locations, or these online retailers: www.pamperedpassions.com, www.3wishes.com, www.flirtylingerie.com, www.idigtoys.com, www.howcool.com.

Dick the Dentist and Hot Nurse
[Pictured above]

Sure he's a dick, but he's got a hot nurse with him, so who cares? For you, a lab-coat with "Dick the Dentist" printed on the front, and "Open wide, it won't hurt a bit" on the back (wear with dark pants and bring some "tools for drilling"). For her, choose between Racey Nurse (left of Dick), a four-piece set that includes a spandex dress, a cap, gloves and stockings, or she can be a Candy Stripper in a four piece set that includes a stretch dress, separate apron, cap and stethoscope.
...More

MSNBC travel columnist, Christopher Elliott has some advice for those of you renting a car anytime soon. It seems rental companies "unable to raise their rates or impose significant cancellation penalties on their customers" are relying on fees and surcharges to increase their profit margins. And "they are doing so now with more creativity and zeal, leaving frustrated customers... swearing they’ll never rent again."

Although technically not "scams", these four "profit methods" by rental companies fall in the "somewhat legal" or "gray area" of the law, but in terms of ethical? You'll have to judge for yourself.

First is the biggest: the enforcement of rules to the letter. Picking up your car later than your reservation? You might be charged more because rental companies have different rates for different rental lengths. And where they would have overlooked that in the past, not so much anymore. I had this happen to me on a trip to Atlantic City earlier this year. I returned the car a half-hour past the time due and was charged full rate for an extra day. I called the customer service number, spent an hour arguing that 30 minutes is not a day, and they refunded my money. But how many people spend the time to do that? The rental companies are betting not that many.

Second, Elliott advises you make sure the gas gauge is fully on F. Rental companies have gotten anal about exactly what constitutes "full" and how far you drove from the gas station to the rental return. A hair below will get you a gas charge now, he says. Bring your gas receipt to prove you filled the tank.

Third on Elliott's list is the "damaged car" scam. If you're not diligent about checking for damage to the car when you pick it up, you may get charged for damage someone else caused when you drop it off. Elliott advises going so far as to photograph the car both at pick-up and drop-off to cover your ass.

And finally, check your rental agreement for any "hidden" fees - especially if you're a frequent renter - like drop-off fees that they waived for you in the past.

You can read the whole article here.

The results are in, and almost two-thirds of you say it's ok for guys to accessorize. As long as we don't go too far. And by "too far" that means going beyond a single necklace or bracelet. In the case of guy accessories, the majority agree less is more.

However, there's a small percentage of you (just under 10%) that disagree and feel it's ok to show off as much bling as you like. As aging rock concert promoters and members of the Mr. T fan club have shown.

And finally, over a quarter of you (26%), feel that jewelry is best left to the ladies. Real men should be "au natural", if you will. (I should have asked if a watch or cufflinks are considered jewelry. That will have to wait until another poll.)

This week, my poll is about fall and winter grilling. Do you, or don't you once the leaves start turning? Let me know. You can vote in the box on the right.