July 2010
1 post
Rub Some Shirt In It
New bloggage:
http://rubsomeshirtinit.tumblr.com/
April 2010
1 post
Which button to button?
As men’s wardrobes become more and more casual, the finer points of formal wear become more and more muddied until they disappear into the annals of sartorial history, only to be revived decades later in shows like Mad Men. Once upon a time, fathers would pass these cherished rules down to their sons as part of their education. There were rules on everything from how to dimple a tie to...
February 2010
2 posts
The Art of Shovelry: How to remove snow without...
So far, this winter has been a man’s winter. At least, it has here in the Northeast. Just this past weekend, we got hammered with 2 feet of snow and another foot is expected tonight (where’s your global warming now, Al Gore?). Personally, I’m happy that winter has decided to show itself at last. There hadn’t been a decent snowfall since ’96 and many of my teenage winters were spent...
January 2010
1 post
How to iron a button-down shirt.
It’s no secret that I’m a big believer in men being prepared for every situation. However, thanks to some of the images of “manliness” that we’re exposed to on TV and in the movies, many guys mistakenly think that being prepared to fend off a zombie attack or survive a home invasion are the only “survival skills” a man needs. Well, I hate to break it to you folks, but there’s...
December 2009
5 posts
419. Real sweaters don't have zippers.
(via rulesformyunbornson)
Lessons from Kalamazoo Part 3: Be Your Own...
Photo courtesy of Here North photography
The last day of my weekend out in Michigan was an interesting one, for sure. My wife hadn’t been feeling “right” for some time before our trip, and it had progressively gotten worse. Being the typical man that I am, I didn’t think much of it and, basically, told her to suck it up and go rub some dirt in it (o_O). I’m...
Lessons From Kalamazoo Part Two: How to Carve a...
Last Friday, while in Kalamazoo, my sister-in-law, Tera, made a delicious and very traditional dinner. I can’t say enough about how great a cook she is. She’s one of the best I know, hands down. Then again, my perspective might be a little skewed because my mother is such a terrible cook and I suffered throughout my entire childhood. Think that’s harsh? One taste of her...
Lessons from Kalamazoo Part One: Why Men Should...
This past weekend, I took a road trip to visit my brother-in-law and his wife in Kalamazoo, Michigan (yeah, it’s real). It’s a long ride to K-Zoo (it’s even got a nickname) and the only other guy that was going, bailed on me last-minute. It ended up being me and three women in the car for 12 hours each way. Realizing quickly that attempting to paddle my lone raft of manhood...
November 2009
13 posts
412. Don't fill up on bread, or when you're older,...
(via rulesformyunbornson)
1 tag
Hood sliding 101.
As a kid, I used to love watching Dukes of Hazzard. However, I didn’t understand why they did a lot of the things they did (why couldn’t they open the doors on the General Lee?) or why they were always in trouble (“Moonshine” sounded like it could be Rainbow Brite’s cousin, and couldn’t possibly be a bad thing. I’ve since tasted it and I’m...
Stormy Kromer, or why I like small businesses.
With all the media hype about corporate empires taking the plunge into chapter 11 as a result of the economy, it’s easy to overlook the little guys who are struggling to keep their doors open. Mom & Pop, brick-and-mortar operations have been on the decline since the advent of the department store, and today it’s even harder. They have to compete against on-line-only retailers...
Avoid fashion, embrace style.
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” - Oscar Wilde
I became reacquainted with this quote the other day, thanks to a friend who mentioned it (you rock, Emily!), and decided it was a good subject for a post. Oscar Wilde is not exactly the poster-child for manliness, what with his penchant for feathers and persistent man-diddling,...
408. Don’t let a wishbone grow where a backbone...
rulesformyunbornson:
(via All Plaid Out)
All about the necktie.
Neckties are one of the few masculine clothing institutions that have not been fully appropriated by female fashion. This is especially odd given that a tie has no practical value. Once upon a time, it may have been used to keep a man’s neck warm, but the modern day necktie is useless in this regard. You also can’t dry your hands on it, blow your nose in it or use it to wipe...
Every Day Carry (EDC).
Societal gender norms have not always been nice to the male of the species. Sure, we might make a little more money on average than the fairer sex, but that doesn’t come free. What, with all the door-holding, chair-pulling, seat-offering, hat-tipping, shopping-bag-carrying and jar-opening we have to do, I’d say a little extra compensation is more than fair. But hey, at least all of...
How to pump your own gas.
Dedicated to the poor, emasculated men of New Jersey and Oregon.
This morning I stopped to get gas at my usual gas station a few miles from my house. I pulled in to find the place completely crowded and backed-up with traffic, and only one gas station attendant (it’s never this busy). As soon as a pump became available I pulled up next to it, got out of my car and started to pump my...
Scotchy-scotch-scotch.
Ahhh, Scotch. Sweet nectar of life.
There (hopefully) comes a time in every man’s life when alcohol consumption transforms from the standard collegiate ritual of getting plastered, to an enjoyable habit of moderation. Suddenly, the allure of polishing off a fifth of Rumple Minze without becoming incontinent starts to wear off and you search for something more refined. Something you...
Be a man. Change your own dang tire!
This morning, on my way to work, I saw a sight that never ceases to irk me. A tow-truck driver was changing a flat tire on a Lexus, on the side of the road, in the rain, while the driver, a perfectly healthy middle-aged man, stood behind him watching from under his umbrella. He was on his cell phone and seemed -get this- “annoyed.” You might be saying to yourself...
Bring back the boot.
It dawned on me recently, that at age 28, my collection of footwear was seriously lacking in…well…seriousness. While I’ve always had at least two pairs of dress shoes, the majority of my footwear was made up of sneakers. I had several pairs of skate shoes: some for actual skateboarding, some for broadcasting that I (used to) skate but who’s soles never once touched...