Lesson in Lyrics - Thunderstruck

This weeks brain teezer. A band with a long history but with surprising lyrics.  See how accurate you are.

Land's End Canvas - Poplin shirts Review

Heritage Pattern

Now that spring and summer is upon us, I want to discuss the miracle of poplin.  I have other fabrics that I will write up later but for now lets look at poplin offered by Land's End Canvas.  I purchased three shirts recently for two reasons, one is the fabric, poplin is lightweight, breathes well, perfect for summer and the second is because I loved the patterns.

Let me talk about quality for a minute.  I've been very impressed by Land's End.  Here is what I've noticed:

• Double stiching where it counts, where two pieces of fabric meet
• Cotton is soft and breathable. 
• Button Down collar
• Cut is not super slim but gives a relaxed trim look.  Very modern.  

The white shirt is meant to be versatile, easy to match with anything in my wardrobe.  I wore this on Tuesday and couldn't be happer.  This puts a white shirt into my rotation that has a refined blue stripe that is very flattering. 

Plaid Poplin

 I also wanted a casual, mix it up shirt with a basic patten. I like having a shirt that is versatile enough to wear year round but is casual enough to dress up with a navy blazer.  This shirt fits the bill.  The colors are vibrant without being obnoxious.  They offer other colors and patterns but remember more color isn't always better.

Red Gingham

Lastly, the red (garnet on the website) small gingham shirt.  I think this is the most underrated summer shirt of all time.  Everyone should own one of these.  The Land's End red gingham is clearly red (was worried about coming off a weird shade of pink) and looks great under a navy blazer, with shorts, and can be dressed up or down.


I'm not disappointed in my purchases, no buyers remorse.  As with all shirts I still needed to tailor the tail as I'm 5'11" and every shirt is at least one to two inches too long.

Uniqlo Polo Shirts

I was on the lookout for some new polos as I've recently dropped a size in shirts.  I wear most of my clothes untucked as I am losing weight and I'm no super model. 














This makes me picker than most.  I need a polo with no tennis tail.  There is also the buttons or placket area need to be high enough where I can leave them unbuttoned for a cool Steve McQueen look.  (I'm vain, so what?)

This lead me to Uniqlo.  Unfortunately, I don't have a store within 100 miles of my address, so to the interwebs!  A few Jacksons later and my purchase was on its way. 














Back at the lab...  (evil scientist laugh, Bwahahahaha)  I anxiously awaited my delivery.  If you are not familiar with Uniqlo, its owned by a company called "Fast Retail", and two days later I had my order.  Go figure. 

I think the fit on these is about perfect for my purposes.

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/store/lifewear/men-dry-pique-short-sleeve-polo-shirt/075417-24-007

~$250 JCPenney Collection

~$250 JCPenney Collection by ideas-for-fashion featuring slim jeans

Levi's slim jeans
jcpenney.com

Florsheim Berkley Mens Leather Penny Loafers
jcpenney.com

Dockers® D1 Modern Khaki Pants - jcpenney
jcpenney.com

Dockers® Brown Logo Belt - jcpenney
jcpenney.com

jcp™ Oxford Shirt - jcpenney
jcpenney.com

jcp™ Oxford Shirt - jcpenney
jcpenney.com

Lessons in Lyrics - Say it Ain't So

Up this week is Weezer's Say it Ain't So.  Did you know all the lyrics? The opening line is what confused me until seeing this video. 

Somebody's Hein'....

Common Coins - Money list

I would like this to be a reoccurring thread here called "Common Coins" where I review some financial products and ideas. 

Today is about an idea that has served me well for several years. The Money List.  One day I was broke again for the billionth time and was desperately thinking about how to make money.  At the time of being broke I couldn't think of anything good that would make money.  Its like when I needed money I could get money.  I vowed then and there if I ever got out of that situation I would make a meaningful change so when hard times happen I would be better prepared. 

Welcome to the "Money List".  Sit down with pen and paper. List out all the things you know how to do that make money.  I'm perfectly serious.  I broke mine down in to categories and began to write. 


Manual Labor:

• Data Entry - $7.50
• Computer Virus removal - $75

Sales

• gather up and sell household items not in use on ebay, craigslist, etc. 
• affliate marketing

Online monies

• mturk for Amazon
• online surveys

This puts things into perspective.  Then I began to focus on the items that make the most amount of money for the least amount of time or as I called it "High Dollar" items.   Those should get most of my focus.   Now I might do everything on the list to make money but my focus will be on those that require the least amount of time with the highest return.  Simple. Right?  

Do you have a list?  

Shoe Review - Allen Edmond's Fifth Avenue

Last week I convinced a good friend of mine to purchase his first Allen Edmond's shoe.  After careful consideration he decided on the Fifth Avenue.  He was looking for a conservative shoe with a cap toe that could be worn with suites and also at the airport.

I'm always hesitant to recommend a product to someone because experiences can vary from person to person.  I have no reservations with Allen Edmonds.  I openly recommend them to any taking their first steps into a lasting shoe selection.

This week they came in and on Monday he was beaming.  "I got the shoes" "They are very comfortable" "Thank you so much for recommending these".    Job well done.

Amazon Allen Edmond's Fifth Avenue

Allen Edmond's Fifth Avenue product page


Forgive the hideous carpet at work and the pitiful camera my phone was built with.  Perhaps this means I need to purchase and review a good camera?

Roku Box

Skeptical.  What is one word that describes how you see a box the size of a hockey puck?  Skeptical.  After much hesitation I finally decided to pull the trigger on the Roku2 xd.   I knew from the pictures it was small but seeing it in person is still shocking.  We have an old tube TV leftover from a simpler time that requires the once standard red, white, and yellow rca connections.  I power on and hope for the best.

The box has a simple setup which requires me to be near a computer to sign up and enter in my credit card info.

I was not expecting this and to be honest I'm a little hesitant to relinquish this information.  Roku I expected better.  However, I quickly see the need for this info.  Once the box is installed you can quickly purchase new channels and therefore new content with the click of a button.  It also has a safetly four digit pin which will protect against unwanted purchases by unknowing parties.  If your niece or nephew come over and want to buy the latest Disney flick they will need the code to do so.

So account is setup, whats next?  Channels.  Roku operates much like your cable box in that it requires you to add channels.  Some channels are free to use and operate on an ad based system.  Other channels like Hulu Plus require a subscription.

For my use I installed, Netflix, Plex, Crunchyroll, and Crackle.  Everyone should be familiar with Netflix.  It works amazing on the Roku box.  Crunchyroll and Crackle are ad based channels.  Plex is where this box really delivers for me.

Plex is a media server application that really works.  I can now any media from my computer on my TV.  It transcodes on the fly .avi and .mkv to work with the Roku Box.  Suddenly that five year old film of the nieces and nephews singing at school is relevant again and watchable.  Let the good times roll.

Amazon Roku Box 2

Does a Shave make a difference?

Recently a close friend of mine had a confession to make.  He is an old fashioned shaver.  In the age of electronic this and that he had cut through the noise to find a shave that, according to him, was the best he ever had.

Be forwarned this not for a quickie shave; a one time event between you and your disposable shaving partner.  This is a commitment to excellence.  A fine art that is being revived through social media and personal experience.

Two days later I stared long into the mirror at my own face ready for the task at hand.  I was hesitant at first but curious.  Will this be the shave I've been looking for?  The shave of a safety razor. 

What I used:

Merkur Long Handled Chrome Safety Razor

Variety Pack of Blades  - (I recommend getting the variety pack of blades because you don't know which is best until you try them.)

Tweezerman Men's Shaving Brush

Shaving Bowl (I didn't use this exact one but listed as example and because its highly recommended)

Col. Ichabod Cond Glycerin Soap

First, fill up the sink with hot water.  Put the safety razor with blade attached into the water.  Let it heat up.  Wet your brush.  Swirl the brush into the soap 10-15 times.  Put brush in bowl and swirl until foamy.  Press brush on face letting soapy goodness cover area to shave.  Angle razor and shave slowly.  Repeat 2-3 times for best shave. 

After doing this two times, I can honestly say, its a great shave.   

Feedly

I only have so much time in this world and anything that assists in saving me time is worth the effort.  Like most people in the 21st century I have several blogs I follow.  Unfortunately, these blogs are done by real people not a big corporation and as such they tend to update infrequently.   A post today and another one in a month.  To keep me from having to go back everyday and check on this blog, I use Feedly.


Just install the plugin to your browser of choice and you are ready to go.  Click the icon for feedly and you can start adding website, blogs, and rss feeds.  Give a try.

http://www.feedly.com/

Movie review - Iron Man 3

At the local theater in no less than six screens, the trilogy making, Iron Man 3 captivated my attention for the entire 2hrs. of pure enjoyment. I won't spoil the movie for everyone but a cycle of Iron Man being down on his luck only to rise from the ashes (pun intended) is the swan song of this film.

Characters will surprise you.  The special effects will wow you.  Go see it.

http://marvel.com/ironman3

Kohls - What should I buy?

It happens to us all. The flash of a sale sign is too alluring, too inviting, to be ignored.  Such is the case with Kohls and their advertisements.  If you happen to be drawn in by their marketing be forewarned, a sale doesn't mean quality or fashionable. For the well dressed individual this can be challenging. Here are my top picks:


1. Levi's 511 & 514
Yes, the best move at Kohls is the jeans. Today's sale is buy one get one half off, not an impressive sale but if you combine with a 30% off store-wide and it starts to look reasonable.

2. Dockers D1
The only worthwhile Dockers cut Kohls is kind enough to offer. You will find the standard color convention, Navy, Stone, and British khaki.

3. Belts - Dockers and Levis
In need of a dress belt or casual summer canvas belt? Kohls has it. Avoid genuine leather and casual brown leather. My favorite pick is the summer Dockers with the stripe.

4. Watches - Seiko & Citizen
Surprising to find these at Kohls but here they are.  Pick up an automatic Seiko or eco-drive Citizen.  You won't be disappointed, just avoid quartz and you'll have street cred with any watch aficionado. 

Lessons in Lyrics - Say it Ain't So

Its amazing how the brain works. Give it a problem and my lobes become fast at work to find the answer. Now pair that up with a musical conundrum and you can invent almost anything.  Put your ears and brain to the test. Can you remember the lyrics?