Boys' Night Out

Orchestrating a night out with the guys is like changing your own oil: It should be easy, but something always goes wrong; it gets messy; and you end up wishing someone else had just taken care of it.

The frustrating part is that 90% of the time, she's all for you hanging out with the guys. But it's the other 10% that always seems to come right when the big game is on or your buddy is hosting a poker night. Here's a little secret: Her resistance is just bargaining.

You have two options. First, you can declare your freedom and promise her a night on the town for the two of you later in the week. This works well in most cases, as she then has something to look forward to. It helps to be specific -- a trip to her favorite restaurant, a chick flick she's been dying to see, etc.

If you go to the well too often, however, you might catch her on a bad night and get shut down. That's why strategy No. 2 is good to keep on the back burner. It's the "rope a dope," or something like that. You pamper her leading up to the big night so she feels too bad to say no. Tell her to go out for dessert with that friend she hasn't seen in awhile. Give her a foot rub. Mix in a few treats like that during the week and your request for guys' night will go over like butter on a hot roll.

As a last resort 10 minutes before kickoff, ask for forgiveness rather than permission. State your intentions like they've been written in stone since last year. Then deal with the consequences in the morning (preferably with roses in hand).