As most of our readers know, I rarely recommend products or services on the blog. Exceptions include Mercer & Sons shirts, Allen Edmonds shoes, and J Press for miscellaneous men’s clothing. The reasons for my reluctance are numerous: this blog is a sanctuary from ‘the sales pitch’. The internet allows almost anyone to find almost … More A Private Conversation with…Richard Friesen
Bonjour, everyone. Karl was kind enough to post a very detailed comment about his recent trip to Paris. I wanted to make sure that everyone saw it, so I’ve done a cut and paste. It appears below in italics. So enjoy. My thoughts…I think Karl has a great approach to European vacations: pick one city … More Fresh Set of Eyes on Paris…from Karl
Life in Paris is not always bowl of cherries, but it rarely goes long without a surprise. Most of the surprises are pleasant. A few are enlightening. One of the more enlightening moments occurred recently. (I’ll be intentionally vague with details to protect the privacy of those involved.) A young person from the United States … More The Importance of Narrative
I’ll admit that sometimes I get very tired of constantly trying to improve myself, my work, and my relationships. The external issues vary. Work, marriage, health, family, friends. My internal process persists. It goes something like this…Fatigue sets in. Rationales pop up. Excuses come forward. Profanities spill out. (Usually in private and in a whisper, … More The Surprising Truth About Self Improvement
We recently received the comment below from one of our readers. I thought it was very interesting and very relevant. Here it is, and I’ve added some thoughts below. I happened on your site while doing some personal research on old money style and its contemporary applications, like the trendy of the concept of sprezzatura, … More The Application Process
I received an email the other day. The person suggested that I painted a little too rosy of a picture in regards to Old Money Guys and Gals. They pointed out that plenty of born-rich trust fund babies are obnoxious and incorrigible, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. To which I replied, Oh, most certainly. And … More We’re Not All Nice
One of our tribe members recently wrote to me. Her concern was privacy. Her correspondence is below. She has some really good ideas on the subject, I think, and some questions… I’d love to hear everyone’s take on increasing and maintaining privacy in this digital age. (Thank you, V., for the very kind words. I’m … More The Continual Fight for Privacy
On May 27th, just a few short days from now, a dear friend of mine will retire from teaching. To be fair, this isn’t the first time. He first retired several years ago, certain that he had done his duty. Bored out of his skull a few months later, he rejoined the campaign to stamp … More An Educator Retires
According to my nephews and nieces in the states, this question is a popular one online. So I’ll offer an answer. Fair warning…it may not be what most people expect, as I’m not going to hold forth on oxford cloth button down shirts, penny loafers, or Volvo station wagons. These things are symptomatic of an … More How To Act Like Old Money
There are a lot of things about democracy I don’t particularly care for. For one thing, people with opinions that differ from mine are too often given a voice, a vote, and even positions of power. Subsequently, I have to live with laws I don’t particularly like and tolerate public officials I don’t particularly care … More The Price of Democracy