Young Man/Old Man

Young Man: Glowing Endorsements

2012-02-09T16:34:00.001-05:00

If you don't read A Guide to Bad Taste, you really should. He is one of the smartest, wittiest, and irreverent bloggers around. His posts are spot on and bordering on blasphemous.

Anyways, he just put up a post about some blogspots (people still write/read those things?) he likes, along with a few sentences of explanation. YM/OM made the list and his justification is awesome.

"Young Man/Old Man

More crotch shots. Also, ACC jokes, some awesome whole-cuts that never get old, croakies, and penny loafers."

Awesome. At least he didn't call me a racist. And he's right those wholecuts are pretty awesome.

Thanks for the shout-out John/Sam Franklin/whoever actually writes it.

(the ADG justification is awesome too)

Conor

Young Man: An Experiment

2012-02-09T01:42:00.000-05:00

No New Clothes in 2012

So here's the deal. As I explained in this post, I don't have much (read any) extra money to spend on clothes. I love looking at blogs and websites that have all the newest (or new trying to look oldest) togs. But at this point in my life I don't feel that buying lots of new stuff is viable, responsible, or even right for me. I was thinking about this tonight. I thought about my forced position on spending money, my current job situation (and the de facto uniform of said job), my family's attempts to cut down our consumption overall, and the light bulb came on.

So here is my pledge. For the rest of 2012, I will not buy another article of new clothing.

Here are the caveats:

Of course if I need underwear, socks, or undershirts, I'll buy them new. Because, gross. I'm not that hardcore.

If a retailer wants to give me something of theirs to review, I'll accept it new and review it. And if I like it I'll keep it. If I don't particularly care for it or don't need it, I'll sell it here for cheap or give it away (don't get too excited, no-one's sent me anything yet).

This means I'll be starting to thrift again (it's been a long time since I've been to a thrift store). However, I'm not going to thrift like I did before. I'm not going to hit up three thrift stores a week, every week, looking for something good. I did this for a year or two, and all it led to was a bent closet-bar, and re-donating most of that stuff. If I need something new, I'll go to the thrift stores around here and look for it (or a reasonable substitute). If I don't find something there, I'll hit up eBay, the forums, etc. If I still can't find something AND I really need it, I'll consider buying it new. But I have a hard time believing I'll need something.

This pledge doesn't mean I'll be abandoning my principles of quality clothing. As a matter of fact, quality clothing really works in favor of this. If something is strong and well made, it will last a long time, meaning I won't have to buy new stuff as often. However, quality does not correspond to a certain brand, a certain material, or a certain country of origin (though I'll always defer to MIA if given the choice). Quality can be determined by handling the garment. Thrift stores offer this advantage.

This pledge also doesn't mean I'll be abandoning TNSIL (Traditional, Natural Shouldered, Ivy-League) style. Patrick is a testament that great TNSIL stuff can be found at thrift stores.

So there it is. I'll do my best to stick to the plan. If I do stray, I'll put up my rationale here and you can all berate me for being a filthy flip-flopper. And if I do find something awesome at a thrift store or on the bay, I'll put pictures up here.

Conor

Young Man: Waskerd Review, Pt. II

2012-02-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Or four months later (see previous review here).

Not much new to add to this review as far as words go. It's still holding up great and I still really enjoy the convenience of the outer pocket. And I still have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it for anyone.

Here's the good part: pictures.

They're not the greatest, but you can see that the leather is continuing to darken, and the nap is flattening out. It's got some scratches (mostly from my keys or knife), but I don't mind them.

Overall, Derek does great work. Go buy some stuff from him and support an American craftsman.

Conor

Young Man: Stats Analysis

2012-02-05T16:42:00.001-05:00

This is why I love stats.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=125435641&page=14

An old bodybuilding forum thread that for some reason linked to YM/OM. The good fellows then proceed to call my facial hair the greasiest they've ever seen. It's probably true (it was pretty bad back then). I just had a good laugh. Especially since the thread was called "Sperrys and Polos." True style right there.

Enjoy the game.

Conor

Old Man: Sunday Style

2012-02-05T13:19:00.000-05:00

Started out cold, wet and foggy. Ended up warm and sunny. I'm not sure what to do with this.

J Press ebay tweed, Nordstrom shirt, thrift wool tie, obnoxious green Polo cords

AE loafs.

Just right for this morning and way too warm for this afternoon. I'm used to this later, but not early February. Oh well. I guess I'll have to start putting away the tweed soon.

Conor

Old Man: Eats

2012-02-04T21:11:00.002-05:00

Tonight my lovely wife whipped up a delicious dinner. Stuffed shells (how can you go wrong with ricotta) and roasted vegetables.

Broccoli, red potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic. Delicious.

Inspiring enough to write a post about.

Enjoy the sabbath tomorrow.

Conor

Young Man: My Favorite (shoes)

2012-02-03T21:26:00.000-05:00

My LL Bean Signature Ranger blucher mocs.

My wife bought these for me for my birthday a few years ago. They've really held up well to all manner of abuse (water, dirt, running, lots of walking). They are my go-to shoes for anything above running and anything below tie. They go with shorts, jeans, khakis, etc. The suede looks a little beat up but I like that. They've loosened up enough to be able to slip on and off, and that was one of my gripes in going from the Topsider style to the blucher style. But now that that's resolved, I can't think of anything wrong with them.

I find them very comfortable, and really would like a pair of the Ranger boots. 12D, in brown please, LL Bean!

PS: They're on sale in certain sizes for $40 right now. A great buy, in my opinion.

Conor

Young Man: Style Icon #1

2012-01-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

My Dad

I know what you're going to say. "Father's day is like six months away. Everyone does that one." I know everyone does this one, but it's true. Since I've cooled down from my early "trad-only" days, I've found that my style is very similar to my dad's. You can see that in this post, from when my parents and sister came up for Thanksgiving. We even posed the same (not purposely, honest). The shift really hasn't been noticeable. Until now.

Here are some elements that are similar.

Patterned shirts

My dad and I even own some of the same shirts (mostly tattersall). We also have the same patterns: lots of university stripes, checks, flannel etc. I like solid shirts too, but patterns are awesome.

Dark Jeans

My dad has been wearing in a pair of 505's for a few years. He washes his more than I do, and doesn't spend quite as much as I do (or have), but I think his look awesome. I told him once that his fades would get lots of chatter on the denim threads. He looked at me like I was crazy. He's a fan of regular cuts too, which I'm leaning towards again. Still like slim every now and then though.

Nice Shoes

As I mentioned in the previous post, my dad has shoes that he bought before I was born. I've always liked that. He also is almost always in nice shoes when he's out. Either his Rockports, or some kind of boat shoes.

Since I've settled into a more natural style (not as many extremes - trad, workwear, etc. but more a meshing), I've found that I look a lot like my dad. His is obviously more natural (he's never read blogs or forums - except this one - an admittedly poor sample), and mine is a little more forced. But I like the way I'm going.

Conor

Old Man: Sunday Style

2012-01-29T13:17:00.003-05:00

Nursery duty = jeans. Easier to wipe spit up off of than nicer pants.

The Cordial Churchman bow, LL Bean shirt, Jordan's tweed, RRL,

Florsheim boats. Green smartwool socks.

Polo gloves for pre-church ice-scraping duty.

In light of Anon's very helpful comment last week, I'll be trying out some new posts this week. Last week was pretty busy, but I'll try really hard to stick with posting this week. Style icons/inspirations, wish lists, favorite pieces, etc. Hopefully it will work.

Conor

Young Man: Selling Out

2012-01-22T21:06:00.002-05:00

OK, so here's the deal. I don't make much money. So I can't buy new clothes or gear very often. My small group is also reading Radical Together together, which advocates putting everything on the table and seeing what is truly necessary. So I've been thinking about it, and I've got a good base of stuff already. Most of it could be better quality, but I don't need to dress well for anything (like my job). It's more of a choice. I happen to think it's a good choice. But not a necessity (or at least buying new clothes isn't one for me now).

Here's the problem, and how all this stuff applies to the blog. One of the things I like writing about and reading about in other blogs is new stuff. Reviews basically. There haven't been many reviews or new stuff lately, but now there's probably not going to be any. I'm afraid the blog will get boring and no one will read it (not that many do now anyways), but even worse, that I'll get bored of writing it. I actually enjoy this thing.

So, how to rectify this? I'll do more reviews of stuff that I already have (I already have another Waskerd review planned, plus some posts on how stuff I use a lot holds up). But I only have so many things to review.

So here's my second solution: I'm calling all companies who want their stuff reviewed on a small to medium time blog to send me stuff. It doesn't have to be big things, and I won't even keep it if you'd rather I not. I just want more fodder for posts. I doubt any clothing companies read this blog, but if they do, get at me. For the rest of you readers, if you know any manufacturers personally or as acquaintances, talk to them on my behalf. Is there something you've really wanted to see reviewed? Get it touch with the company and send them this post and a link to the blog.

Want some ideas? Here's some stuff I've been wanting to check out.

Bedrock Earthquake Huarache running sandals - once my Vibram Five Fingers wear out, this is the way I think I'll be going.

Epaulet Rivet Chinos Service Pants - I know from experience that Epaulet makes awesome stuff, and these are about the only cargo-ish pants I'd ever wear.

Patagonia Snap-T - A classic piece. And Red Clay Soul's posts on them have made me really want one.

Prison Blues Correction Connection Yard Coat - A cool coat.

Woolrich Altitude Vest - I've been looking for a nice vest for a while, and this was on Five Mile a week ago and looked real nice.

LL Bean Signature Eastport Ranger Boots - I have the moc version and love them. These look like a nice boot that would be real versatile (and close to zero-drop, if you know what that means).

Oak Street Bootmakers Natural Beefroll Pennies - I've loved these since I first saw them. My buddy Andy just got a pair and they look awesome (it's partly because of Andy's new swag that this post came about).

So there are some starting points. But if you think you can get me some swag, then I don't care. I'll review anything (clothing or accessory related). And don't worry, I'll be as fair and impartial as I can.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Conor

Old Man: Sunday Style

2012-01-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

This morning was brisk, so I broke out my (only) scarf, along with some tweed and an old Brooks sweater vest.

All buttoned up.

I took the scarf off in church. I found this sweater vest on one of my very early thrifting adventures. Not a bad score if you ask me. It has the old Brooks tag and logo and everything. I think it even still had the price tags.

Also included is a J Press Donegal tweed, J Crew pink oxford,

Epaulet chinos, and Allen Edmonds loafers.

A friend at church who just started looking at the blog suggested that I make a separate page that has a list of all the acronyms that I regularly use. It thought it was a good idea as people who read who aren't as into Ivy league/trad stuff (ie not super nerds) probably don't know what ocbd, tnsil, and other things mean. Until that gets up I'll try to cut down the acronyms.

Thanks for reading. Carry on.

Conor

Young Man: Gigs, pt. 2

2012-01-11T19:57:00.002-05:00

A while ago I told you guys about a benefit concert I was playing with Emerald Road. Some videos turned up on youtube, so I thought you might want to check out the tunes. In all the videos I'm the one kind of in the middle, pink shirt, brown cap.

(the fiddle player tricked me here - she didn't tell me I was starting the set until right then)

Several things I noticed from watching these: I need more practice, particularly on the flute (tone, volume, projection, etc.), and I do a really weird rocking thing. It really annoyed me watching it. I think it comes from tapping my feet alternately. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

Conor

Old Man: Sunday Style and New Traditions

2012-01-09T15:46:00.001-05:00

Lots of blue.

This year has been great, because my wife and I have been starting a lot of new traditions for our family (since we have the little one and want to be consistent). We cut down our own tree, spent Christmas and Thanksgiving in Clemson, went to bed at like 10 pm on NYE (well that's been going on for a while), and now, with the tree, we had to start a new tradition: Christmas tree burning.

We live in a condo, so even a small grill is out of the question. We have friends in Six Mile with a good bit of land, and they invited us over after church to burn our tree along with theirs. Needless to say we accepted gladly.

The base.

Our wee tree.

Their properly sized tree.

Great fun. It was wet and drizzling out, which worked out well and made me less nervous about spreading.

Conor

Young Man: Paracord Bracelets

2012-01-04T10:59:00.001-05:00

Head over to the Cordies facebook page to see some bracelets I thought up yesterday and made up this morning. They're still in development but they might start showing up places. Look out for announcements here and at the facebook page.

Conor

Young Man: New Music

2012-01-04T00:02:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately it's American folk music that hasn't really progressed. But I love it.

Willie "tea" Taylor

"Life is Beautiful"

Tom VandenAvond

"Even the Olives Are Bleedin'"

Beards, banjos, Ireland, four string guitars. Man it's all good.

Conor

Old Man: New Year's Style

2012-01-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

Well I don't suppose there's much new about this. But it is new year's day, so...

Jordan tweed/JCrew card/LE shirt/ADG tie/RRL officer chino/Florsheim ankle weights

In church the pastor spoke on Christ's resurrection. An appropriate topic.

Enjoy the holiday all (or what's left of it). I will celebrate the new year by going for a barefoot (truly barefoot, mind you) run this afternoon.

Conor

Old Man: (Saturday and) Sunday Style

2011-12-26T20:18:00.001-05:00

Here's what I wore for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, respectively. We served in the nursery Christmas morning so I wore something more simple.

Christmas Eve:

Jacket and bow: J Press
Shirt: BB
Cords: PRL
Pennies: AE

This bow baffles me. It has almost no lining, so it ties really strangely. I like it a lot though.

Christmas:

TCC bow

Replaced the navy EP chinos with black EP jeans for lunch with friends and lost the bow.

Hope it was a great holiday for everyone.

(I added some new photos to the Cordies FB page - if you've bought Cordies or are interested in them, check out the FB page and like it - and share it with your friends. Thanks to everyone who has bought them so far and supported me in this endeavor!)

Conor

Young Man: Knives and Tea

2011-12-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

We got back from Florida yesterday. I got some nice gifts. Here are some of the more visually interesting gifts from the trip.

My wife's grandmother usually gives the guys knives or tools as gifts. This one was particularly cool. I thought I would try and wrap it (which turned out OK at least). This is now my running knife (around the neck). Works pretty well. Don't worry, the knot is simple slip knot, so no threat of hanging.

My mom made me some chai tea. That's tea, cinnamon sticks, dried ginger, black peppercorns, and some other things I'm sure. It's magic. Drinking some now.

And a huge amount of books. Enjoy the holidays.

Conor

Young Man: New Music

2011-12-19T23:47:00.002-05:00

My brother and sister in law got me an iTunes gift card for my birthday. This is the kind of thing I love. I've been using Spotify for a while, but there are some albums that aren't on there that I really want, so iTunes gift cards are great.

With my gift card I got:

Gillian Welch: The Harrow and the Harvest - really nice album. I haven't given it a really detailed listen (with lyrics and all), but it's a great listen, like all of her albums I've heard.

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh: Fáinne an Lae (Daybreak) Muireann is a great singer and fluter/whistler. A nice iTrad album.

and the best one, Mick O'Brien & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh: Deadly Buzz - Caoimhin and Mick are two of the best Irish trad musicians around. Caoimhin plays mostly fiddle and fiddle-like instruments, and Mick mostly uilleann pipes. But Mick also plays flute on a track, and Caoimhin plays whistle as well, with a couple of really great whistle duets. This is one of the best trad albums I've heard.

Enjoy the music, always.

Conor

Young Man: Two More Gifts

2011-12-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

First, if you like Louis CK, he has a new standup special for only $5. Support an awesome comedian doing a good thing.

Next, read this, The Oral History of Menswear Blogging. Sounds about as interesting as it is.

Then read this, An Oral History of the Time We Read GQ's "Oral History of Menswear Blogging."

Then enjoy.

(And ya I'm probably just bitter nobody mentioned me)

Conor

Young Man: Barefoot Running

2011-12-13T21:17:00.002-05:00

Here's my gift to you. Jason Robillard (of Barefoot Running University) has released his book, The Barefoot Running Book up for free as a PDF download. He put it up on his site, but it expired a while ago, so I found a link to a share site here, another blog.

If you're looking to get into barefoot or minimalist running, this is the book to read. And Jason has encouraged others to share this as much as possible. Here's the quote from the eBook forward.

"Send this file to all your friends, colleagues, and relatives. Send it
to your local newspaper and TV reporters, running clubs, and running stores. Post it on
your favorite social network and online communities. If you have a website, feel free to
host the file (just remember you cannot charge for it!) It's my $9.95 gift to you! The
best way you can repay me is by sharing it freely!"

So here you go. I'm sharing it (this is also my Christmas present for you all). Enjoy. I'm just going through it and really enjoying it. Remember if you do start running the way we were made, go slow. Your foot muscles and bones have atrophied over years of running in traditional running shoes.

Merry Christmas

Conor

Old Man: Sunday Style

2011-12-11T15:05:00.001-05:00

Chilly morning here. I broke out the gloves and Dunderdon scarf again. No picture of them since it warmed up after church.

I cropped my face out because my daughter was at the glass door and I was making an incredibly goofy face at her.

Almost too matchy for me, but I liked it.

Love these cords.

Bonus shot of me hauling our Christmas tree away. We got ours at Hilltop Christmas Tree Farm in Six Mile. A great place and it was a lot of fun to pick ours out and cut it down ourselves. It will definitely be a tradition from now on.

We're leaving for Florida tomorrow morning very early (like in twelve hours) so I might not post quite as much, but I'll try to have some posts up. If anyone is within driving distance of West Palm Beach, let me know.

Enjoy the Sabbath and the holidays.

Conor

Young Man: Birthdays, pt. 2

2011-12-09T12:55:00.001-05:00

I forgot the best part of the birthday celebrations. My girls took me out to The Smokin' Pig, the best barbeque around here.

Their brisket is legendary. We have some friends from Texas and they say this is the closest thing to their favorite Texas brisket. I used to be a pork man but I think this is starting to convert me.

Conor

Young Man: Birthdays

2011-12-08T10:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I have the best wife and daughter ever. They got me awesome gifts.

As such:

From the wife: a whole plate of sweet and spicy bacon (that's cayenne pepper mixed with brown sugar and applied liberally to baking bacon - so awesome), and the opportunity to walk around my favorite bookshop, McClure's, for almost an hour (I got Tinkers and Gilead - enjoying Tinkers so far). Since I had to work last night she's making me cake (with coffee in the cake and icing !) tomorrow. Awesome.

From the daughter: She started saying "Dada" yesterday. Best birthday present ever.

I hope you day was as blessed as mine. Enjoy the week.

Conor

Young Man: Waskerd: The Video

2011-12-05T21:43:00.001-05:00

I've posted about Waskerd before. Great stuff by a great guy. Derek just recently completed a video about how he makes a wallet, all the way from cutting the leather to finished product. Very nice. Check it out.

Waskerd Handcrafted Leather Goods

Conor