Eye of the Tiger

Sometimes, you hear about a combination so awesome that you can't believe no one has thought of it before. Bacon and chocolate. Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Blankets and sleeves (though, to be fair, robes have been pretty popular for the last millenia or so).

Today's SocialBuy deal is equally awe-inducing: cardio, self-defense, and kung fu. Yes, KUNG FU. You can get a month of cardio-self-defense-kung-fu lessons from White Tiger Kung Fu for $23 with today's SocialBuy.

Not to be a downer, but in a big city like Los Angeles, self-defense skills are a necessity. If that skill set includes kung fu, so much the better.

True story: my college roommate's dad got mugged walking to his car from work one night. Her dad - who served in some sort of special ops military group that he doesn't talk about - said to him, "You really don't want to do that. I'm giving you one chance to walk away." The mugger didn't move. So her dad broke his nose.

Frankly, I'd feel better just by looking at strangers and thinking, "I know kung fu. Don't try anything fishy. I can chop you and then have the endurance to jog at a steady pace to a safe location."

What's the saying - you can't put a price on peace of mind? Find your inner zen (and inner martial artist) by getting in on today's SocialBuy and taking a month of classes at White Tiger Kung Fu for just $23.

Team Tan

We have an awesome deal right now for the sun-resistant: $60 for $125 worth of services from Island Spray Tan. Island Spray Tan has two very unique, very awesome things going for it: they use all-natural organic products, and they come to your work/home/movie set/whatever and do the spray tan for you there. How many companies still make house calls like that??

They do a custom job, so whether you're already bronzed or painfully pale (like me), the tan will look natural. You can either use your SocialBuy for a one-time thing or put the amount toward a monthly membership.

The whole vampire-Twilight-craze made being pale moderately more acceptable. But seeing as I *don't* want to be associated with any team of the Edward or Jacob variety, I think I'm going to get in on today's SocialBuy. (One of my Twitter pals, @tanningshoptips, held a contest to see who could do the best job of giving Edward Cullen a fake bake - check it out here)

Like I said, Island Spray Tan does a customized tan for you, so I know I won't get Jersey Shore Orange. I really don't want to go super-tan; just enough so that I look sun-kissed. Vampires be damned - I'm joining the dark side.

King - nay, QUEEN - of the mountain

I grew up in Chicago, where several skiing/snowboarding areas are just a car trip away and then I moved to sunny Southern California for the weather. And now every winter I have the inclination to brave the freeways and head to the closest ski resort Mt. Baldy. I didn't actually try snowboarding until junior high, when a couple of friends made me go snowboarding with them. For some reason, they didn't think I needed the lessons or any practice on the bunny hill. While we were on the lift ride up, both of them kept going, "It's so easy! Toeside-heelside-toeside-heelside!"

We got off the lift at the top of the hill, at which point they both promptly flew down the mountainside. At this point, I didn't know anyone up there, I didn't understand what a toeside or a heelside was, and most importantly, I didn't know how to start moving once both of my feet were strapped to a board.

As you might imagine, the first few runs didn't go very well. I sort of hopped to the edge of the slope and then went straight down it. Um, and I didn't know how to stop. So when I got to the bottom, I just purposely wiped out. It was a pretty rough day.

But that was a long time ago, and since then, I've had more patient friends who have shown me the way of the board. I moved to sunny Southern California for the weather, but every winter I have the inclination to brave the freeways and head to Mt. Baldy.

Since my first unfortunate experience, I've had more patient friends who have shown me the way of the board. With the majority of them currently being unemployed, it's pretty easy to get together for a weekday snow trip. So regardless of this recession, today's SocialBuy deal for $32 for a one-day weekday lift ticket will get them to stop complaining about budgetary concerns and head for the slopes.

If you've never been snowboarding or skiing before, you should consider this your sign to try it. Just make sure to start out on the bunny hill...

One fish, two fish, red fish, Malibu fish

For a really, really long time, I told people I didn't eat seafood. Keep in mind that I grew up in the Midwest, where eating fish really wasn't a thing. People didn't question me.

But then I moved to California, and had my first fresh sushi. Sushi turned into an occasional bite of a friend's salmon, or getting excited when my roommate bought frozen tilapia from Costco. Now I'm a fish-o-phile.

That's why I'm sort of overly excited about our Reel Inn deal ($15 for a $30 voucher). Though I like seafood a lot more now, my boyfriend is allergic to shellfish, so we don't go to seafood places that often. But this place has a really wide selection of all different kinds of shell-free fish, not to mention a ton of entirely sea-creature-free entree options.

I also like this restaurant deal because it gives me an excuse to go to the beach in Malibu and to try somewhere new to eat. Like most people, I've fallen into a rut of going out to eat at the same three places that are within walking distance of my apartment. I really have no reason to haul my butt (or my friends) to Malibu. But now, I can entice my pals and my palate with this awesome deal. According to Yelp, most of the dishes there are $10-$15, so this SocialBuy voucher will probably buy dinner for two. Mmm.

The tipping point

Great news - the Rosti Tuscan Kitchen deal went live yesterday! That means that if you opt in on that deal, the voucher will arrive in your inbox the next day and you'll be able to use it right away.

Radical Tan (today's SF deal) is doing pretty well too. That's the deal where you can get a week of unlimited tanning for $20.

To get in on this deal with Radical Tan, visit http://www.socialbuy.com/San-Francisco/