Arrogance

Previous visitors to this blog will know (with a few notable exceptions) of my preference for the more mature lady over her younger counterpart.

Being the open minded gent that I am, however, I recently chatted to a young lady who clearly believed herself to be another exception to my "rule" and proceeded to try and impress with discourse consisting of (she thought) "smart" cerebral references and terse acerbic comments that were both tiresome and out of context.

Imagine my quandary, then: not only am I faced with a young lady with an undeservedly high opinion of herself but - no doubt due to the aforementioned high opinion - was pretentious and extremely arrogant with it ( when I pointed out that perhaps her attitude and approach were not the best way of convincing people, like myself, that she was indeed the kind of person that matched her self-image, she responded by pointing out her belief that any problem here was definitely mine!)....how charming.

A word to the wise then: remember - it is nice to be important (unless it is self-importance) but it is far more important to be nice. 

In summary: Lovely,  intelligent, mature ladies please form a group to my right, truly interesting younger ladies congregate to my left; - arrogant, pretentious CHILDREN  keep on walking. 

'nuff said .....

Heightened awareness

What is it about the different seasons of the year that affects a man’s libidinous instincts so? As visitors to this blog on prior occasions may note, I have previously remarked on the seasonal ‘improvement’ in the attire of the fairer sex and the impact(s) that can have on a red-blooded heterosexual male. Is it because women’s summer fashions are generally more revealing? Is it because the warmer seasons have similar effects on a woman’s libido which, in turn, translates itself into a change in attitude, attire etc.? I have to say I am at a loss to explain this perceived seasonal ‘up-turn’ but not alone in my perception of it.

So, enough of trying to fathom ‘why’ and more of saying ‘wow!’ and thanking the general female populace, at this time of year, for reminding us how damn gorgeous they really are; - from the younger lady who will perhaps leave her hosiery off, wear a shorter skirt and give us a glimpse of tanned legs, to the more mature lady who will also leave off her hosiery, wear an elegant summery wrap over dress, put her hair up and look very vogue-esque in a pair of stunning designer sunglasses.

Whichever category a lady may fall into (or anywhere in between), we – the general heterosexual male populace – thank you all from the bottom of our hearts and request that you carry on keeping up the good work!

Success

One of the pressures a man faces in the modern world is the pressure to ‘succeed’. Success can come in a number of forms and is often measured by the critical rule we cast over ourselves.

The measure of success – in my experience- is often (and indeed is the partner of) ambition: our ambition defines our goals and requirements of our time here, success is the measure of how many (and, indeed, to what extent) we judge ourselves to have achieved our ambitions.

Ambition is a very personal thing and is quite often defined by the values instilled in us by our parents: for some the measure of success will be the very act of marrying, having a family and working consistently enough (a challenge in itself in the current climate) to provide for that family – for others their ambition will drive them to succeed at the highest level; be that to be the best in their chosen field or to found, build and drive great empires of commerce… each to his own.

Having been driven, to a large extent, for most of my adult life to achieve a comfortable lifestyle and indulge myself in various life experiences, my measure of success has been about what my ‘travails’ have enabled me to achieve/acquire for me and mine rather than the success of the tasks in my career or business for its own sake. This may appear somewhat shallow and materialistic but, for me, life has been about (and indeed still is) the quality of my style of life rather than the reflection on tasks achieved and ‘battles’ won.

For me, I work to live – not live to work – and if that means I have to work bloody hard to achieve the best lifestyle I can (but not at the expense of sacrificing the very style of life I crave by the work required to achieve it at the cost of everything else)  then I can and will. The effect this has, though, is that as I get older, I am less inclined to keep up the heavy repetitive schedule of work and want to enjoy more of the fruits of my labour,  more often… and that – in some ways -makes me feel old, like I am slowing down and entering my dotage… not a very enjoyable sensation. 

So I am at a crossroads in my life – have I been successful? Have I been successful ENOUGH? Do I slow down and start to enjoy what I have or do I have that one final push to enforce my workplace ‘virility’ and push me to the next stage of life comforts?

Keep reading over the coming months and I am sure my posts will inform you, dear reader, of the course – as yet unchosen – that I finally decide upon.

A New Suit

What is it about a new suit that makes a man feel special? You will see from earlier/older posts I have a philosophy of trying to present yourself in the best way possible (this in turn, I believe, aides self-esteem and general well-being) and a new suit seems to fit into that philosophy beautifully.

I think all men see themselves as some kind of celebrity/action man in their minds eye when they picture themselves in their new threads but few actually do look like their mental images (and ladies, please don’t shatter our illusions!); that self image though is key to one’s sense of well-being and therefore the mood that you project to others.

The picture of “Breaking Bad” Bryan Cranston above (pic courtesy of GQ magazine) sums up my ramblings perfectly: sharp, smart and looking ready for action the Calvin Klein suit he is wearing shows off his body shape and physique perfectly – an older man still looking good in a modern take on a classic outfit.

Thank you Bryan… now where did I put my tailor’s phone number….?