You're never Fully Dressed without....

As I have mentioned before…fashion does indeed make the man. Living in a small town is no excuse for poor fashion. But in my first Small Town Style Guide I left out perhaps the single most important aspect of men’s dress. Shoes. Gentlemen, your footwear says more about you than your tie, suit, or cufflinks.

Men of all types walk into my office. For the most part, due to the nature of my business, these men come dressed in their nicer apparel. The definition of nice seems to fluctuate from man to man. No matter the economic background or breeding every man should wear appropriate shoes for their dress.

Black Nike’s should never be worn with a suit. Nor should Army boots. “But, Andrew,” you say, “I don’t own any dress shoes!” Well…GET SOME!!! I’m not telling you to go out any buy shoes that cost more than your monthly lottery budget. I am, however, telling you that shoes make the man. The quality of your shoes reveals how much you respect yourself. Of all the items in a man’s wardrobe, shoes are the single most important element of style.

With shoes, you get what you pay for. Even when times are tough, you can still spend a little more on well-made shoes because you can make them last much longer than a suit or a cashmere sweater. In fact, if you choose a pair of shoes made with real leather, sturdy stitching and solid soles, they will outlast almost all other items in your closet. You’ll be able to have them repaired over time at a fraction of the original purchase price, so spend as much as you reasonably can for a pair of shoes.

Plain dress oxfords might seem boring or too conservative amid a rack of pick-stitched ankle boots and fleur-de-lis perforated wingtips, (please tell me you know what those are) but consider for a moment that you’re buying a pair of shoes that you will wear to work (and interviews), weddings, funerals, first dates, and everything else in between. A classic dress oxford -- plain toe or cap toe -- will get you through more moments in your life than any other men’s shoe to date possibly could.

I told you all of that to tell you this: I was recently called out on my shoes. I confess. I have been wearing an inferior black dress shoe. They were cheap and didn’t last a year. So I forked out a little cash for a pair of quality shoes. Man up and Dress up. You’ll like the way you look.

This is the dawning of the age of...

The following is a textbook definition of the single most important aspect of, among many things, reading a book, enjoying poetry, or attending a theatre production.

“Suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" is a formula named as such in English by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge to justify the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature. Coleridge suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative.

“The phrase "suspension of disbelief" came to be used more loosely in the later 20th century, often used to imply that the onus was on the reader, rather than the writer, to achieve it. It might be used to refer to the willingness of the audience to overlook the limitations of a medium, so that these do not interfere with the acceptance of those premises. According to the theory, suspension of disbelief is a quid pro quo: the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend their judgment in exchange for the promise of entertainment. These fictional premises may also lend to the engagement of the mind and perhaps proposition of thoughts, ideas, art and theories.”

Now, if you’re still reading I applaud you. More than one of my readers has said to me, “Eh….I saw that it was long and wordy so I didn’t read it.” Honestly, I don’t care. I blog for me.

I recently attended a revival production of the critically acclaimed 1967 Tribal Love-Rock musical Hair. I could not have been more surprised at how much I loved it! The only things I knew about the show were what I had heard from those who saw the first run (my parents age) and what I saw at the Tony’s last year. I didn’t think that Hair had anything that would appeal to my mostly (but not entirely) gilded-proscenium love affair with stuffy, golden aged, mid-western and South Pacific set, and overly dramatic musicals.

From the opening song I was emotionally involved. No, I do not have any sort of attachment to Aquarius, but I could not help the fact that I cried. Just a little. Don’t judge. This happens to me all the time. I think it has something to do with seeing another human put their entire being into a few short hours of quality entertainment. I would give anything to be able to do that every day. I think that will always be one of those missed opportunities sitting way back in the “what if” section of my mind.

As long as you have a strong suspension of disbelief it is impossible to be bored, harder to judge, and much easier to love anything that you are reading or watching. We are certainly not living in the turbulent time of the 1960’s, but it did make for an interesting, if not allegorical, juxtaposition. The show is the first Broadway musical in some time to have the authentic voice of today rather than the day before yesterday.

Rollin' Back.....Waaaaaaaaaaaaay Back

We are a little more than a week into my Wal*Mart free month and things are going great! I knew it wouldn’t be too big of a struggle, but I am surprised at what I have been able to find at other stores.

I mentioned in a previous post that I have recently started a new lifestyle. Specifically this is a new eating, health, and wellness lifestyle. I was able to find all of my favorite products in other stores. Some are different brands. Some are not quite the same. But one product has yet to be found in another store. Hummus. Sure the grocery store has some, but it really isn’t too tasty are far from the healthier Wal*Mart carried brand. So, in order to feed my vice I decided to make my own. After I located some Tahini at the local health food store I was ready to create some delicious hummus.

Produce was something else I was worried about. The local grocer has a nice variety of produce, but it sometimes lacks the quality that can be found elsewhere. However, the local farmer’s market, roadside stands, and my own garden has wonderfully filled the Wal*Mart produce void. I’ve grown some nice melons. Just saying.

Now, with this next part I hope to not offend any of you. I have only been in our Dollar General store once. Once in nearly fifteen years of living in Olney, and that was only to find a prop for a play. I never had a reason to shop there. It…just wasn’t for me. After actually walking through the door with intent to shop I can tell you that I am surprised at the quality, price, and variety of products available. While I was not able to find everything I was looking for (business sized envelopes), I was able to find most of the products that I had been purchasing at Wal*Mart.

The official cost analysis of this little project is not yet complete, but I feel comfortable saying that I am spending less money. Not just less money on the same products, but less money in general. Wal*Mart used to be a place to go to pass time. I would walk around the store and put things in my cart that I really didn’t need. A quick trip for some apples and soy milk would end up costing $50 just because I saw something that I thought I needed. One product that I have had my eye on for a while was an HDMI cable. This would allow me to watch my Netflix and Hulu programs on my TV rather than my laptop. After figuring out the length of cable that I would need I discovered that it would cost me close to $70 at Wal8Mart. I’m happy to say that I just bought the exact same product and length on Ebay for….are you ready for this…$3.50. I’m pleased.

The Tiger's Reoccurring Ace

So…today I was just driving down US 41 into Evansville, Indiana minding my own business. I was stopped at a red light when it happened. From the corner of my eye a profile of a guy in the next lane caught my attention. I didn’t even need to turn to see who it was. I knew. I felt it. In an instant I went from feeling pretty darn good to insignificant, inadequate, and downright unattractive.

Who was it, you ask? Well…I’ll not name names because he is known by a few of my readers. I think. I’ve known this guy ever since I moved to Illinois. We met at a swim meet in Fairfield and became instant friends. Even though we lived in different towns we remained close. As we got older, competitive swimming started to become less fun and a little more, well…competitive. He was always a second faster, a smidge better looking, and about a foot taller. During our last meet we were both in the last heat of the last race of the day. This was it…my last chance to not come in second. Alas. At least I was used to second.

As I was preparing to start my freshman year at a nearby private university I received a phone call from this guy. He wanted to know if I would be his roommate. Sure! I was excited to live with someone I knew! But that never happened. I ended up withdrawing from that university due to “creative differences with the administration.” Interpret that how you wish. So this long time friend and rival stayed in contact with me for a bit, but as things go, we fell out of touch.

Every now and then I would think of him, or be reminded of him by a mutual friend. And every time that would happen I would feel insignificant, inadequate, and downright unattractive. I just can’t understand how seeing him at a stoplight by the airport could do this me now! Years after I last thought of him! Grr. The light turned green, I glanced, he glanced. He turned left, and I drove through. Until next time…

A Walk Around Town

What does your town look like?

31 Days to a Better Me

I did a little research recently and I discovered something disturbing about my finances. After I pay my bills I am left with money to save and spend. Of the spending money I noticed that a large amount was going to the same store. I would guess that if your town is anything like mine that yours goes to the same place. I looked at my spending for the last year and discovered that 85% of my retail dollar was going to Wal*Mart. 85%!!! That is far too much.

I am going to see if I can go the entire month of August without spending any money at Wal*Mart. This is not a boycott of the store, nor is it a protest of their corporate behavior. I just think that I can spend my retail allocated money in more places and get the same products. I understand that there is a chance that I will end up spending more, but that is something that I am willing to accept. Due to a recent lifestyle change I am a little concerned that I will just simply not be able to find some products of which I have recently become accustomed. I’ll manage.

The late Martin Atwood was often overheard saying, “If you can’t get it a Rural King its not worth having.” Well, Martin, wish me luck.