A Man's Guide to Fashion

FASHION - According to Harrison Fjord... this is how men should dress. :)

How to Tie a Full Windsor Knot

FASHION - If you've always wondered but never tried it, here it is: Instructions, diagram and a video demonstration of how to tie a Full Windsor Knot. (Also known as a Double Windsor Knot.)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A FULL WINDSOR KNOT.

#1. The Windsor knot needs a lot more length of the necktie to tie this knot. Make certain that the broad end of the tie hangs down much lower. Cross the wider end of the tie over the narrow end and hold in place with two fingers (one finger on the back and one on the front).

#2. Take the wide end of the tie and pull it through the loop on your neck. Then take the wide end of the tie and wrap it back behind the narrow end.

#3. Now take the wide end of the tie and pull it through the loop across from the side of the previous wrapping.

#4. Slightly tighten it so it is snug, and pull the wide end back over the front of the knot. Don’t pull tight but create a loop.

#5. Pull the wide end of the tie through the loop at the front of the knot.

#6. Slightly tighten the knot. Make sure that the wide end of the tie lies centered and doesn’t fall into the crevice created of the two wrappings.

#7. Give the knot some final adjustment to make sure it is good and snug and flip down your collars. You are done tying the Double Windsor knot.

NOTE: If it doesn't look perfect, undo and do it over again. Practice makes perfect.

Oddly enough the best video I could find demonstrating how to tie a Full Windsor Knot is by a woman... you go girl!

Being Sexy at Work

SEX - Do you know what sells lingerie? Its not the sex, its the mystery of what lays beneath and it leaves the female body parts up to our imagination.

It doesn't even have to be lingerie. It can be any kind of fashion item provided it actually clothes the body.

Take the photo on the right as an example. It gets the point across. Its attractive and alluring... but all of this depends on the imagination. Skin by itself doesn't provoke much imagination. Its the shape of the skin and the flesh underneath. Muscles. Angles. Curves. And you don't need bare flesh to see curves.

And this works equally well with men.

What looks more attractive? A man wearing an extra large baggy shirt?

Or a man wearing a tight-fitting shirt which shows his physique?

The answer for most people is obvious, the tight-fitting shirt.

The problem however is if you are overweight... and have rolls of fat that you want to hide. That is when the baggy clothes comes in because you are looking to hide fatty rolls.

Lets look at the following photos as an example... two similarly attractive women both wearing grey... but you can see the curves of this woman on the right because her clothes are tight fitting.

Now once you've learned this fashion sexiness principle you realize why you its important to do two things when trying to attract a mate:

#1. Stay fit. Get nice abs. Do yoga and cardio.
#2. Wear clothes suitable for your size that is either tight fitting or not too baggy.

And provided you have a nice personality to go with your sexy body you will have no problem attracting a mate.

Whirlwind Romances and Commitment-Phobes at Work

DISCLAIMER - Not all people are commitment-phobes. Some have completely legitimate reasons to end a relationship. Some are just fickle or bored easily. It is my experience that younger people tend to be commitment-phobes and older people are more willing and desiring of a lasting relationship with all the responsibilities that come with it.

LOVE - Have you ever met a woman and after awhile (the term "awhile" can really vary from woman to woman) she starts talking about commitment.

Now commitment could mean many things.

It could mean going steady (which some men fear because they don't like to be tied down to one person and prefer to sleep around / cheat constantly).

It could mean moving in together as part of a natural progression towards marriage.

It could mean marriage itself, with the implied commitment towards having children.

Many of these things have been known to cause bachelors running for the hills, seeking protection and some sort of escape clause from their relationship. This is largely due to a fear of responsibility and/or commitment and/or fear of growing older, settling down, etc.

Usually its young men who are commitment-phobes. The older the man gets the more likely he starts getting fatherly yearnings towards having a wife and kids. And even grandkids. The ol' grow old and die together bit.

For women it is the same problem, but they also have a biological clock that is ticking. Once a woman enters her 30s and hasn't had kids of her own, if she has any plans to do so she had better speed it up and/or lower her standards.

Now there is plenty of nice single men out there. I know, I am one of them. But they're sometimes shy and they can't be hitting on women at work (because that is sexual harassment), they can't hit on women on the subway (because that is just creepy) and meeting women at church only works for those people who are super-religious and have no life.

So where is a man in his 30s supposed to meet a woman his age? Online personals. And there is quite a few out there, but the one I recommend is Plenty of Fish, or if you're very serious about getting married, check out eVow.

So you go through the whole online personals thing, a bit embarrassed at first, but hey, its easier than trying to pick up a woman at a bar and getting rejected in person.

Then Man meets Woman... and here is where we reach the Whirlwind Romance part of my conversation.

If people connect on their first meeting (and sadly most do not connect) they will probably end their first date with a kiss. Anything less than a kiss and she probably doesn't like you, so don't expect a 2nd date unless she actually makes an effort to arrange a 2nd meeting. No Kiss + Zero Effort = No 2nd Date. Capiche?

If they connect very well it might reach one of those baseball euphemism bases... for those who don't know, they are:

First base – French kissing involving the tongue.
Second base – Aggressive stimulation of the upper body, neck, chest, breasts, back, etc.
Third base – Manual or oral stimulation of the genitalia.
Home run – The act of penetrative intercourse, whether vaginal or anal.

Now if the 4th one happens and continues for some time its recommended you get tested for HIV, wear protection (especially if you're sleeping with multiple women), practice self control, etc.

Now eventually one or both of you will become emotionally attached to the other. If this happens quickly, as per a Whirlwind Romance, one or both parties might be tempted to slow it down or even break off the relationship completely (as in you never see her again). Such is the risks associated with having a Whirlwind Romance, they can sometimes end quickly.

Speaking for myself, my Whirlwind Romances usually led to long term relationships, the longest of which lasted 6 years. So in my opinion Whirlwind Romances are a good sign that two people are very compatible.

But not everyone thinks that way. So don't be surprised when women want to slow things down or end it.

Why?

Because women can also be commitment-phobes. They may have other (more legitimate) reasons too, but the core principle is sound. If things happen too fast men typically don't care, so long as the marriage part is slower. For women if things happen too fast they seem to get freaked out easily, possibly due to the fear of the unknown, fear of marriage, fear they're repeating a mistake / trend they've made with other relationships, etc. Any number of legitimate reasons.

Now if you commitment-phobe men out there were paying attention, you may have noticed the escape clause you have been looking for... all you have to do is say:

"I think we're going too fast and should take a break."

Oh sure, the woman is going to accuse you of being a commitment-phobe, and she would be right in doing so. But at least you're being honest for once.

To be fair to her you should also make it clear whether you will ever change your mind.

If you are interested in seeing her later you should say something like: "I just need time to think, but if I come to decision I would like to get back together with you and we could take it slower the second time around."

If you have zero interest in ever seeing her again (because she wasn't your type, was some psychotic nutjob, etc.) you should probably just tell her: "Don't bother waiting for me. I have zero interest in seeing you again. I don't think you are my type anyway. Lets just be friends! You snore and your breath stinks. You make love like a corpse. Etc, etc." You could even email her this blog post and she will get the hint.

Now on the reverse side if its the gal who gets cold feet and becomes commitment-phobic, well then there is nothing you can do about it except try to be supportive (pleading doesn't work, you only feel more pathetic and rejected).

If she says she may change her mind later, great. If not, then you will probably never see her again.

Such is life.

The funny thing about commitment-phobes is that men and women usually go about it differently. Men will typically look for an excuse to end a relationship. Women are more likely to use the "Lets just be friends!" speech or the "Its going too fast!" speech.

All things are equal in love and war, but that doesn't stop us from using different tactics.

How to get a Softer Mustache (or Beard)

I've been growing a Movember (a Mustache to raise awareness for prostate cancer) during the month of November...

Alas the damn thing itches and the bristles are, well, bristly. Probably pretty annoying when kissing the ladies too.

So how do I get a softer / less itchy mustache?

While it is true that everyone's hair is different, there are some ways to get softer hair.

#1. CONDITIONER.

This is the biggest and best thing you can do. When washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner, use a dab on your mustache (or beard) and let it sit awhile. Then lightly rinse it out after a couple minutes. If you leave a little bit of conditioner in your mustache, good. It will moisturize the hair and make it even softer.

#2. HARSH ALKALINE SHAMPOO

ie. Baby Shampoo. It will make your hair really soft. The alkaline breaks down the coarseness.

#3. MOISTURIZERS

ie. Hand moisturizers, shea butter, that sort of thing.

#4. BRUSH DAILY

Use a natural bristle brush.

#5. TRIM, DON'T CUT.

Cutting your mustache all at once with a sharp razor will leave sharp points at the ends of the hair. If you trim only little bits at a time with dull scissors it will leave softer points and only effect a small percentage of the hairs as opposed to making the whole mustache sharp again.

#6. HOT AIR

Use a blow dryer after shampooing and conditioning.

#7. PERM

Using a perm solution seems a bit drastic, but it will definitely help.

#8. DIET

Adding linseed oil and flaxseed oil to your diet will also make your hair softer. This goes for the whole body. It also makes your skin softer and a bunch of other health benefits.