Overcoat & Flannel

A bit of an abbreviated post today everyone because I'm the in middle of packing up to move to Chicago! I'm excited for the move, in case you were wondering.

I'm glad that spring is finally starting to warm up the Midwest. Fingers crossed that I've seen the last snow of the season as well. But for the colder days still left in spring, it doesn't hurt to keep a coat handy. This charcoal coat from Banana Republic has been a staple in my closet for a few years now. It is mildly water repellent and a great warmth for late fall-early winter and late winter-early spring. 

As far as sunglasses go, I spent a long time just trying to find ones that fit my face well. I generally don't care about brand either as I've had a history of being pretty abusive to my sunglasses. Case in point, once I found these wayfarers from Target, I had to have them. Clocking in under $20 and fitting my face perfectly, I've actually somehow managed to keep them for a while now.

And once again, going with one of my many Eddie Bauer flannel shirts. I was able to buy it in a tall size at the store, and then had a bit of tailoring done to make it fit well (even though it is technically a relaxed fit shirt). They're tough as nails and very warm.   

Coat Banana Republic | Shirt: Eddie Bauer | Jeans: Joe's | Shoes: Aldo

| Sunglasses & Beanie: Target 

Into Thin Air

So since I finished my first book of the year so quickly, I decided to just keep on reading. To keep my "no 2 fiction books in a row" guideline for the year I decided to go with Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer (also a Christmas gift). It only took me a week to read... so by January 14th I was 1/6 of the way through my reading goal for the year.

Into Thin Air is Jon's personal account of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster, the deadliest year in the history of Mt. Everest at the time. Five people lost their lives attempting the summit with Krakauer, not to mention the other casualties that year.

Now I consider myself an outdoor adept person, but I know nothing of true mountaineering. And in his narrative leading up the the fateful day of May 10, 1996, Jon does an excellent job of explaining what it takes to get to the top of  a mountain. I also learned a lot about the history of Mt. Everest along with the traditions that go along with climbing it.

For those that have seen the recent movie Everest (starring Jake Gyllenhaal), you know that above 8000m (~26,246ft for those less acquainted with the metric system) is referred to as the "Death Zone". Reading the book, Jon gives more than enough examples of just how accurate that name is - from the impaired judgments, fatigue, and sheer cold that he alone experienced, not to mention what others experienced. He also gives very clear timetables, which shows just how long it takes to move that high up - over 12 hours to climb ~3000 vertical feet from the South Col to the Summit.

The books paints a picture of a handful of poor decisions that alone wouldn't have been much harm, but together proved to be disastrous. It shows just how commercialized climbing mountains has become (Everest in general, but other big mountains as well). Now I haven't done any research to see how many people attempted Everest last year, but more people attempted Everest the year after the disaster than ever before. It takes a certain kind of person to want to climb Everest, and Into Thin Air probably wouldn't persuade a person one way or the other, but it does give you a glimpse of what it takes to get to the top of the world.

You don't take the summit of Everest, the mountain allows you the summit.

Down with Down

This has been a weird winter. There, I said it. It seems like it has snowed every week and then gotten into the 50s every week for the past month. This year is a stark contrast to my first winter here in '13-14. For anyone who didn't experience that, I'll give you a hint, I was unprepared for it from my time back south...

Once the snow touches down, my sneakers of choice are these black leather Aldo's. They have the Chuck Taylor look that I enjoy in the summer, but are warmer and significantly more waterproof than canvas.

This year I decided to get my first down jacket, predicting a more typical winter. I went with the Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown jacket. It's got 800 fill down, mild windproof and waterproof properties, super compressible, and it's under 12oz. It will be great for shoulder season hiking & camping once I get a chance to get back into the outdoors. 

Only things that would make it better would be a tighter fit at the wrist and an adjustable elastic hem. But it's a tall and slim fit so I think it was well worth the money.

Jacket & Flannel: Eddie Bauer | Jeans: Joe's | Shoes: Aldo | Beanie: Urban Outfitters | 

Sunglasses: Target | Gloves: Nordstrom Rack

The Martian

So the first book I read this year was The Martian, a novel by Andy Weir. This is not be confused with the movie starring Matt Damon which was based off the book (although I did make sure to watch it after reading to book to see how Ridley Scott did). One of my goals for the year - I try to have goals not resolutions - was to read at least 12 books this year, and no 2 fictions in a row. Now I got 3 books for Christmas so I figured I'd start with this one.

For those who have neither read the book or seen the movie, don't worry, I won't give any spoilers. I just want to give my honest opinion of the book. My brief synopsis: the story of the fight for survival of astronaut Mark Whatney, who after an unfortunate accident is stranded alone on Mars.

This was a great book to start the year off with, I was hooked from the first sentence of the book. I was finished with it within a week, and would've finished sooner if I didn't have a full time job. That being said, my full time job is an engineer, which helped me enjoy this book. Mr. Weir has a lot of science in this book, and tries to explain as much of what is going on technically as possible. There is a lot of chemistry in there (how one creates water for example) and the author makes sure to provide plenty of comedy from this mostly first person narrative to keep it from reading like an instruction manual. It's refreshing to be made to laugh out loud by someone who is supposed to be facing impossible odds of survival. But be sure, this book illustrates the precarious knife edge between life and death that anybody would face if something were to go wrong in space travel.

Buchanan Plaid & Camel Coat

I have always enjoyed wearing flannels, but when you're from Texas, you really don't have/get to wear them very long during the year. I started stocking up on flannels soon after moving out to the Midwest. This winter has been much more mild than usual, but normally November-March is easily cold enough to always wear flannel.

This particular flannel from Land's End is the Buchanan clan plaid. I'm a Buchanan on my mother's side so there's more than just monetary and style value to me. It was also a gift, so points for not having to pay for it. It's very warm and feels very durable.

A nice overcoat is always a good purchase. This camel coat from Banana Republic has become a winter staple of mine. It looks great whether it's dressed up with slacks or dressed down like it is here with a pair of jeans, which just happen to be my favorite pair of Joe's Jeans.

You can't forget the accessories when it gets cold too; fingerless gloves to use my smartphone, a scarf and beanie for a little extra warmth, and sunglasses for the sun bouncing off the snow.

Coat:  Banana Republic | Shirt: Land's End | Jeans: Joe's | Scarf: Topman |
Sunglasses & Beanie: Target

Always Carry a Handkerchief

My dad always told me that I should carry and handkerchief (usually while I was sniffling in church or somewhere equally rude to be making noise). He always had those thin white hankies that you can buy in packs 3 or more, and still does.

Once I never liked those white handkerchiefs, so once his advice finally took hold, I started using some old bandannas I had lying around. Once they became ratty, I went down to Hobby Lobby and bought some more.

Not only are handkerchiefs good for runny noses, they have a lot of other uses as well. The Boy Scouts teach how to use the neckerchiefs they all wear as slings. While that's once example, it's rarely used. I use my bandannas as a neck warmer when I go snowboarding, as a pot holder while I'm cooking, sweat rag while playing racquetball, and list goes on.

Never spend too much, always have one on you. It's even one of Nick Offerman's 10 rules to live by, and that's pretty good in my book.

Chambray & Fleece

I personally like wearing button downs when I have the chance because they're so versatile. They look good for a casual day around the house - a denim or chambray shirt is good for doing work around the house even - but you wouldn't look out of place meeting friends for drinks in one either. When the weather gets cool, I turn to my favorite pair of khakis and go from there. A sturdy pair of leather boots helps to keep you ankles warmer (and drier should the weather turn on you).

I buy clothes for value and fit over brand name and bargain if I can. I'm 6'3" so I have to shop for tall sizes unless I want shirts to fit two of me. Snagged this chambray shirt from American Eagle online (and on sale if I remember correctly), but most of the shirt shopping I do now is online as few stores carry them. Helpful tip though: the Eddie Bauer outlet carries tall sizes in stores, I would assume the normal store does as well but I can not confirm that.

For cool dry days I like to throw on a fleece. This one I have on by Columbia is one of the first jackets I bought when I moved to the Midwest. It zips into an outer shell for when the rain and snow start falling which is a huge plus for me. A nice tip, it works just a great as my mid-layer while snowboarding as it does around town.

I always try to get the details right, even if nobody else can see them. My pants and boots always cover my socks, but I have an arsenal of dress socks to wear because the socks help make the man. I even matched my handkerchief with them today. And even though my watch matches my boots, the battery died a while ago in it and I have yet to go change it... there's just something nice about wearing one even though I check my phone for the time.

Fleece: Columbia | Shirt: American Eagle | Pants: H&M | Boots: Aston Gray | Socks: Happy Socks | Watch: Unlisted