As I sit here working by candle light (having turned out my lights); I contemplate the concept of Earth Hour. Though the actual act of turning off your lights for one hour will probably have a minimal impact in the whole scheme of things, the awareness is the true victory. The event, still in its infancy, began a year ago in Sydney Australia. Where citizens and businesses alike, for one hour, were thrown back to the 1800s when life was just a bit greener. This year cities and companies (including my own) around the world are participating. More importantly its an awareness event that everyone can participate from the comfort of their own home.
Virginia Woolf wrote in Three Guineas that dress not only covered nakedness, gratified vanity and created pleasure for the eye "but it serves to advertise the social, professional, or intellectual standing of the wearer."
I enjoy wearing a suit. I wish I could wear one more often.
There I said it. In this modern age, when I put on a great fitting suit I feel like I am strapping on a suit of armor. Confidence, bravado, and self-esteem automatically rise. Now I didn't say putting on any suit will see the boost in self-image, I said a great fitting suit did. I am no style sartorialist, but I've read enough articles and purchased a few suits to formulate what I consider some basic principles behind suits that fit well for me.
Here are a couple of tips:
-Shoulders pads of jacket do not go over your own shoulders. They should hug it, not restrain them either.
-Try a size smaller than what you normally think. As long as you feel comfortable in it and not in danger of ripping anything, chances are you will look good in it.
-Vent! No, I mean have some sort of vent in your coat. Be it side vents or a single vent, have it and that is end of story. If not, have a tailor alter your coat. I prefer the side vents.
-Customize, get a tailor and change the jacket to fit your body. Like I learned in my Ergonomics Laboratory, there is no such thing as an average body size.
I have to note that I favor the more European look of suits than those of American suits, primarily because of the modern/slim cuts and appearance that the suit fits comfortably but fits well.
How do you like to wear your suit? Or why do you disapprove of wearing a suit? Post a comment.
Anyone who really knows me, probably has heard design/lifestyle aesthetic: minimalism. Trying to live simply as well as bringing value of quality over quantity. Investing in pieces that are of high-value (not necessarily monetarily). This also extends to my awkward stance of getting rid of a lot of items/possessions.
Anyways, I suggest everyone view Possessed. The documentary follows several people who have hoarding issues. What is more interesting is how some of these people recognize something is wrong, but are seemingly powerless at the daunting task of making change.
If you can fill in the missing letters above, then chances are you are hip to Blackstreet. Oh you are not? Well friend, grab your Trapper Keeper and kiss your mom at the bus stop, Andrew is going to take you to school. Old School.
Back in 1996 Teddy Riley dropped this bomb of soul-infused hip-hop aural orgasm on the masses and it tore up the radio airwaves. I remember when I heard this on the radio back in my hood of South Tacoma. It was catchy, it was toe-tapping, it was addictive, it was so...hip. This was the second album I ever received on a little hot media called compact disc. Everything from guitar strumming to the lyrics (heavy with slanguage that I use to this day) epitomized what hip-hop and 90's R&B was about.
The song itself strums an ode about that fine playette that everyone wants, but just can not afford and entice (if I had a dollar everytime that happened!) Take a simple-yet-painfully addictive beat, urban slang infused lyrics, and round it out with verses dropped by Dr. Dre and you have yourself a 40 oz. of malt awesome.
Give Blackstreet a little spin on your computer and prepare to be transported to the mid-nineties: a time when oversized clothing was the right size, Fubu was raw, and where Moesha first aired. Just be sure to bag it up.
I'm also including a link to a cover done by a band I am fond of.
Klaxons - No Diggity (Blackstreet Cover)
Guns? Check.
Washboard abdominals? Check.
Ballin'? Check
Rocking body that makes all the hotties wanna get naughty? Check.
Breath? Nope.
Nothing kills the opposite sex, the mood, and the game more than bad breath. Now I can not help you with your game, your lack of social skill, your deviated septum, or your lack of muscular definition; but I can assist in getting your breath so fresh and so clean.
Gargle. Gargle. Gargle.
Grab that bottle of listerine, or my personal choice: Crest Pro Health Mouth Wash. Hey I've been a Crest kid all my life, and my grill shows it. Pull back your head, let that chemically synthesized liquid roll to the back, and expel some air.
Note: Andrew is not a professional of any kind, despite what his business card says. Please do not substitute his wild ramblings for professional assistance and/or care.
Finally, Google released Google Calendar Sync today which is a utility to sync your Microsoft Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar. It allows two way synchronization between Google Calendar and Outlook. It also has the ability to be configured for one-way synchronization.
Check out the post on the Google Blog or download Google Calendar Sync here.
"I always had a passion for flashing' before I had it I close my eyes and imagine, the good life"
-Kanye West, Good Life (featuring T-Pain)
I've always desired to look good and carry myself about with a deboniar flair. Constantly wishing to harken back for mid 18th-century gentlemen's wear. What other way than putting on a cravat or better yet an ascot?
My personal favorite takes are the "Day Cravat", which bestows a level of sophistication while subtly saying "Frankie says Relax." Put on the "Knotted Ascot ~Naud Gordien~" and you will exhudes boatloads of sophistication that even Sean Connery would shout "You're the man now, dawg!"
So next time you are out enjoying a wonderful evening at the San Francisco Opera with your beautiful speech therapist wife¹, throw on an ascot and see if you do not feel the ire of envy knowing that amongst the suit and tie, you are looking super fly!
¹You know who I'm talking about.
Paper. Our friend, shaved and treated from the very trees which provide us with shade, oxygen, and love, has been around for centuries. With the advent of technology and the thing many of called "the internet" a lot of people are attempting to stem the flood of paper that one gets constantly.
I'm all about getting rid of paperwork when necessary, but who knows what to get turn into St. Patrick's Day confetti or what to laminiate and seal into your safe box forever? You should know there are a few things you should never get rid of:
- I don't remember. I might have shredded the document that listed it.
Well, lucky for you "the internet" does remember! The equally-important-to-peruse-as-this-blog Unclutter, has a listing of documents to keep and for the length of time and what to shred.
So remember folks: The pen might be mighter than the sword, but the sword can cut trees to make paper. (What now, pen?)
Its Guest Blog Week, Readers!
Salutations, Andrew here to bring some select posts with little relevance to anything for the week!
As some of you know, Mark is on the search...nay the prowl for a home to call his own. With that in mind here's a little suggestion from me: Tommy Hilfigers Home!!
If you are going to live somewhere, why not a home from a fashionistador complete with 7 bedrooms, 9 full and 3 half baths, and 4 garages. That's plenty of garage for me to crash at.
It can all be yours for a low price of $27.9 Million dollars. But really: can you put a price on happiness and your own special home?
YES.
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