I got a call from my mate Chanson who lives in Arizona. Chanson is a intelligent guy that I roommated in college with a few years back. He was majoring in Finance at the time, but has since started a career in Operations Management. While on the phone we talked about life, girls, and among other things - a mutual friend. He told me about this guy we knew in college that literally had his identity stolen and ruined. From inside our friends bank, his personal information was stolen or resold, because the criminals knew details that nobody else would know (like the maximum amount of money to withdrawal out of his account without going into overdraft). About 2 weeks after he looked at his account balance, he reported the incident to the bank/credit reporting agencies and found multiple loans in his name which weren’t his totaling over $50,000. Not only did he have loans, but they were 3 months old and delinquent in payment which effected his credit rating. These people are sneaky bastards that ruin good lives.That was a year ago.
The mutual friend is slowly rebuilding his life, but has had to spend a truckload of money on lawyers to figure this whole mess out, and there are still some account applications every month under his name that he has no idea about. Luckily, credit reporting agencies have a ban on credit applications without calling him first.
Don’t be caught with your pants down…
Different Types of Identity Theft
A government website lists what can be done with your identity. What do thieves do with a stolen identity?
Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways.
Credit card fraud:
They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the cards and don’t pay the bills, the delinquent accounts appear on your credit report.
They may change the billing address on your credit card so that you no longer receive bills, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realize there’s a problem.
Phone or utilities fraud:
They may open a new phone or wireless account in your name, or run up charges on your existing account.
They may use your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or cable TV.
Bank/finance fraud:
They may create counterfeit checks using your name or account number.
They may open a bank account in your name and write bad checks.
They may clone your ATM or debit card and make electronic withdrawals your name, draining your accounts.
They may take out a loan in your name.,/li>
Government documents fraud:
They may get a driver’s license or official ID card issued in your name but with their picture.
They may use your name and Social Security number to get government benefits.
They may file a fraudulent tax return using your information.
Other fraud:
They may get a job using your Social Security number.
They may rent a house or get medical services using your name.
They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don’t show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.
Identity Theft Prevention
I’ve tried to be ultra careful with my credit card, drivers license, and especially my social security number. Without these numbers, usually it makes it more difficult to rip off your identity.
I was thinking about subscribing to a service called LifeLock, which is a company that offers credit theft protection services. I was pointed in their direction by my friend Tim Ferriss, after he posted about creating a paperless life. I investigated various other credit protection companies, and for the price and the quality of service, I ended up going with LifeLock.
It wasn’t easy to part with my $10 or so a month it costs.
I subscribed to LifeLock. It’s my second month, I’ve received my credit reports from Experian, Equifax, and Transunion and on one I actually had a wife. I reported that error.
I’ve received email communication from LifeLock that they’ve secured my credit applications and removed my name from mailing lists. This means is that if someone wants to apply for credit that’s tied to my social security number, they need to CALL me on the phone and verify.
Basically, my rationalization was that who would ever steal my identity? I rarely give out private information about myself, and I’m usually careful wherever I present it. I got over it and assumed that victims probably thought the same as me.
Cool.
And… I get rid of those annoying “Your Pre-Approved!” mass mailings.
I’ve been frustrated over the last few years about never really being taught how to properly fit myself with a suit. What appears as common knowledge to those in fashion is relatively unknown to most men. There are many factors that strongly impact a well dressed suit for a shorter man, and I hope to expose a few of them here.
Easy, step-by-step instructions…
Shorter Jackets
With shorter men, the width and length of the suit jacket is one of the most important aspects of your entire ensemble. If your suit jacket appears too long, then you’re overall appearance is diminished, which is hardly what your going for. As a general rule, your suit jacket (with your arms hanging) should fall between your thumb and index finger. This gives your upper body the appearance of length, but doesn’t take away from the length of your legs (which visually makes you appear taller).
Chest
You should be able to easily button the jacket without it pulling. There shouldn’t be much space between the button and your chest—no more than a clenched fist’s worth.
Arm Length
The proper length of the arm is debatable between tailors but generally speaking you want your arm length (with your arms resting at your side) to be just on the bend in your wrist. The other school of thought is to have it slightly above that, about 0.3 of an inch, so you have a part of your cuff showing at all times. Neither is right, neither is wrong. Having your cuff showing might be considered alittle more “liberal” in your fashion depending on social circles. I personally think it looks better because people see your cuff links.
Shoulders
You want the edge of your shoulders lined up with your seem between the jacket and the arm sleeve. If the shoulder crease goes over the shoulder too far, it will look bad, and disproportionates your body. Likewise, if you have the shoulder too short then you’ll be sweating up a storm and the bottom of the jacket will flap out too much (and uncomfortable). You might even be able to do the fat guy in a little coat dance.
Trousers
I read recently in GQ that by not wearing a belt on a well tailored suit, you can actually lengthen your legs. I haven’t personally tried this yet, and I love belts, but I’ll give that a shot this weekend when I attend a wedding reception. That’s a little less conservative in fashion, but doable.
The trick with your trousers here is to have your inseam as close to your balls as possible without feeling uncomfortable. As you combine slim fitting leg trousers with a high inseam, the appearance of your legs is elongated. This makes you appear taller. The length of your pants should rest comfortably on the high rim of your heel. It shouldn’t pass, otherwise you’ll get your suit dirty.
Button Count and Lapels
I personally try to stay to 2-3 buttons, with a low cut jacket. This shows more shirt which (once again) makes your look taller. The high 3-5 button suits are for fatter, or taller men. They may appear good, but it doesn’t do your physique justice.
Stay away from wide ties and lapels. Because your short, stick with skinner ties that show more of your shirt. Also, tie your tie with a half-windsor, not a full-windsor this makes the tie appear skinner. Accessorizing, colors, patterns and brands will be discussed in another post. This was post is strictly for fitting.
For some brands that usually have these characteristics for shorter men, go with Clavin Klein, Hugo Boss, and even the cheaper H&M suits.
I just got back from 24hr Fitness partially enjoying a cardiovascular workout. Going to the gym to do 40 minutes of cardio is not my favorite thing to do in the world. It gets dramatically worse when an 60-pound overweight, Gargamel (Smurfs) look-a-like woman heads to the exercise bike about 5 foot from my elliptical machine, instead of Megan Fox. Yeah, I’m disappointed daily. I’m slightly bias against overweight people to some degree, but my prejudiced thought didn’t even fly past my mind before I got slammed with a funk that would rival BO found in Jerry Seinfeld’s BMW. I don’t know which planet could conjure up such primal throat-wrenching agony but it sucked my motivation right out. Luckily, the exercise bike was too high for her, so she moved on.
A week earlier, a very athletic looking African American guy was doing sprint intervals on a treadmill TWO MACHINES OVER. His funk was even worse than Gargamel’s, and I had to resort to turning my dual treadmill fans onto ‘HIGH’ in an attempt to drown it.
I don’t care what anyone says on this subject, but there is no way that when someone comes in with a clean shirt and deodorant, do they excude a smell as revolting as these two protagonists of nostril pain.
Here are a few rules for having good kharma at the gym for those who aren’t aware.
At bare minimum wear a clean shirt
Don’t wear a shirt that you’ve already poured 40-minutes worth of sweat over two days into. On occasion, I’ll wear a shirt again, but its rare. Some say, “I’ve got my workout clothes, and I’ve only got 2 shirts.” Oh ok, buy more, with the advent of Walmart you should be able to get some plain ones for $2.
Workout towel required
How many times have I seen a person sweating like a bush-pig only to leave the cardio equipment covered in your skin juice. Gross. Please bring a workout towel, so you can wipe your sweat as it gets dripping.
Wipe down your equipment
This golden rule of kharma is usually in the ‘rules’ section at a bunch of gyms. It is, unfortunately, rarely enforced. Do everyone, and yourself a favor and do a quick wipe of the equipment before leaving. (Where your back and butt have been)
Don’t spit in the water fountain
Have you ever gone to get a drink from the water fountain and wondered what was clogging the drain? *Gag*
Cover it up
Ok, we’re not in ancient Greece anymore, so I yell “Cover up your junk!” so all the old men can hear it. Mate, I’m no homo-phobe but I’d love it if I don’t have to see more than one penis each day.
I hope you take your time and follow these, the gods of gym will bless you for it.
I heard about this video of Dana Gould (writer on The Simpsons) on the Dennis Miller Radio Show a few days ago. Dennis was talking to former Doors keyboardist musician Ray Manzarek, and I had to share.
“Water, like wine, gets its taste from the terrain that forms it. (Wine experts reverently speak of terroir.) FIJI Water comes from tropical rain filtered for hundreds of years through volcanic stone. You can taste the purity in every sip. You can also taste the unique mineral composition, because geology creates its own taste profile, distinctive as a fingerprint.”
Does anyone believe that?
Does everyone who buys Fiji Bottled Water think of the hundreds of years of volcanic filtration for purity sake, or is it the cool story behind them drinking 40% more expensive bottled water?
Probably the story.
A recent Amazon.com customer review of Fiji Bottled Water:
“I have tried alot of bottled water and usually go right back to drinking the water from my tap. Fiji is the first bottled water I have tried and will buy it again. It has the taste of refreshing water. The way it should be.”
It’s common marketing strategy to build a story and image behind a product to get emotional responses from consumers, although this person clearly doesn’t mind the taste.
For bachelors, it can boildown to this. If you’re spending 40% more on water, then to an observant (perhaps superficial) woman you’re successful. How many guys do you know that are on $12 an hour that are spending 5% of their income on bottled water?
I’m a huge fan of Fiji Water not just for the mere image, cool bottle, and conversational prop.
This happened to me recently.
I walked into 24 Hour Fitness to workout and a woman commented out of nowhere, “Oh yeah. I love how that water tastes. Good choice.” Weird. I didn’t think pure water was supposed to have a flavor. Although, try drinking Fiji Water for a few weeks and then go back to Arrowhead, or even worse, Sam’s Club brand. It’s all in the aftertaste…
You’ve finally taken the plunge and are moving into a new apartment to be called your bachelor pad. Whether you’re living with friends or by yourself, here are five ways to add spice it up for those special visitors you have coming over.
Lighting
You should defintely spend the most money to get this area handled. A few of my apartments didn’t really have anything to work with (eg. spot downs, or atmospheric lighting). They only had the traditional, (and very bland) fan with 4 lights. What you can do with that? If you don’t have much money to spend on a new fixture, go to the store and buy bulbs that are directional (not flood). You can see the difference in that the bulb has a metallic film covering around the spine of the bulb (so it doesn’t let light through except through the head). This creates a beam of light that concentrates in one location in the room, instead of filling the room with light, making washed out and very “unsexual”.
Colored floor lamps with soft light are ideal. Red lighting is killer when not overdone, it creates a very loose, relaxed and romantic feel.
Four other ways to transform your pad…
Live Plants
Live plants are key. They add an earthly tone to your room, and frame it. The key to having live plants in your apartment is that they are living. Not dying. Keep them healthy and looking great. Remove dead leaves and keep them watered at the plants correct levels. The best plants are:
Floor Rugs and Throw Pillows
Floor rugs are a total must for any bachelor pad. Women flock to them. They feel good and provide a good balance for the eye. I prefer getting the base color dark, and solid. This has a multi-pronged effect. First, they require less cleaning because of dropped food, shoes, grime and dust. Second, darker colors usually work with more colors in the room, so you have less to stress over, and looks better. What type of floor rug should you invest in? Something with natural fibers are better. Artificial fibers tend to itch and scratch, and last less. This is a part of your bachelor pad that you might want to think about spending more money on. Find a wholesaler and see if you can get some good dark animal fibers (wool) for less.
Throw pillows for your bachelor pad are an awesome addition. I recommend brighter colors like yellow, red, bright blue, even mixing them up for added impact. Softer fabrics and stuffing makes throw pillows excellent for the impromptu pillow fight with that special lady to get the sexual tension revved up. How many should you get? The more the better in my opinion.
Have the floor rug where you would like the center of the room, and you can even loosely place throw pillows on there to give your pad an even more relaxed feel.
Oh, and if I needed to say it: stay away from leopard print.
Sofas and Beds
Many bachelors live in studio apartments, which are single room apartments. Not just one bedroom, but none. They have to sleep where they entertain guests. The trick here is to keep the room exceptionally tidy. Say to yourself, “Would I feel comfortable having the woman of my dreams looking at it the way it is this second?”
If it isn’t, time to clean it up.
Sofas are great to have in your bachelor pad, although they are expensive. Try Ikea for some great bargains with style. If you can afford more, go to Crate and Barrel and pick something out of their range, they last longer and look less cheap (because they are).
I prefer dark colors with the sofa, and off-set that with those light and bright colored throw pillows.
On your bed, I would suggest dark sheets, dark covers, with a bright pillow to add some contrast. Keep your bed frame simple, sleek and low to the ground. It’s easier to wake up with, and the frame designs are usually cheaper.
Less Means More
What an unoriginal man does is he tries too hard and floods his main room with CD’s, books, DVDs, posters, statues, and other items. The key with your bachelor pad is simplicity. You want women and other visitors to feel a sense of curiosity about you through your apartment, and doing so helps you portray your personality.
A few simple rules:
Don’t make your entertainment system and electronics the center of attention. Computers, Xbox (although fun), CDs, DVD, HDTVs, & TiVos. Place them in a way that doesn’t make them your main reason for being in the living room (even if they are). A living room is meant for living, not wasting time. Basically, you want the living room to be a place of refuge from the craziness of life, not a conduit.
Posters - Don’t have posters (that aren’t framed) in the main room. Lame. Framed art makes a huge impression, and the bigger the better. Be prepared to pay something for the framing!
Basically what you want to be is minimal. Don’t crowd your room. Be very sleek, and basically say “WWAMD”. What would a museum do?
These are a five suggestions for revamping your bachelor pad. If you have any more you’ve personally found, you can use the comments below. I think I’ll branch this post out into specific topics real soon.
I’ve been frustrated over the last few years about never really being taught how to properly fit myself with a suit. What appears as common knowledge to those in fashion is relatively unknown to most men. There are many factors that strongly impact a well dressed suit for a shorter man, and I hope to expose a few of them here.
You should defintely spend the most money to get this area handled. A few of my apartments didn’t really have anything to work with (eg. spot downs, or atmospheric lighting). They only had the traditional, (and very bland) fan with 4 lights. What you can do with that? If you don’t have much money to spend on a new fixture, go to the store and buy bulbs that are directional (not flood). You can see the difference in that the bulb has a metallic film covering around the spine of the bulb (so it doesn’t let light through except through the head). This creates a beam of light that concentrates in one location in the room, instead of filling the room with light, making washed out and very “unsexual”.
