Early Spring

So I don't know how it's been in the rest of the country, but in Chicago Winter has tried to fight that rascally groundhog's prediction of an early spring. Highs in the 60s some days and lows in the 20s others. I've packed away all the gloves and winter hats, and it's really just pride keeping me from getting them down on the cold days.

Hopefully the Spring weather we've caught glimpses of will stick around for good soon, and I can let this jacket rest in peace for a few months. Tomorrow is April after all, baseball finally starts back up, the NHL & NBA playoffs start, patios & rooftops open - it really is one of the best times of the year. So today I don the bow-tie in honor of Spring and everything great it brings.

I think every guy should at least learn how to tie a bow-tie, even if they choose not to wear them often. It used to be the go to for grooms on their wedding days, but the matching tie and vest combo has become very popular recently (at least from the past few I've attended). There are some great how-to's on YouTube to learn from or refresh yourself. Plus, those pre-tied ones just don't look right.

If bow-ties are good enough for Bill Nye and The Doctor (Matt Smith), they're good enough for me.

Coat & Shirt: Banana Republic | Bow Tie: The Tie Bar | Pants: Express | Shoes: Aston Grey

Interview Suiting

So I just moved to Chicago, and I start my new job next week as a Systems Engineer! But before you can get the job, you have to nail the interview.

Now nothing is more important than being truthful about your resume and actually know about the company you're interviewing for. The next most important thing though I think is how you dress. Whenever I look good, I'm much more confident. As stressful as an interview can be, making sure you walk in with you head high is key. 

I always go full suit for my interviews, even though a majority of jobs in the Engineering field are business casual. I believe wearing a suit and tie shows how seriously you are taking the interview. Engineering is also a more conservative field so you should play to your audience. In my case, I went navy suit (this one a slim cut from Topman), and then a solid and a pattern. No pattern mixing just in case, I'm not interviewing to work for Tom Ford or anything.

I actually interviewed in this white button down (from Uniqlo) and this slim green and navy tie (from the Tie Bar). The most useful tip I have received regarding tie width is to try and match the width of your tie to the width of your suit lapels. I had another option ready to go for my interview just in case, but didn't make the choice until the morning of.

I like to pair my navy suit with rich brown shoes and belt. The dark brown is the only option to me, because I think light brown just doesn't have the same effect. Never go with black shows or belt, you can just save those for black or gray suits.

Suit: Topman | Shirt: Uniqlo | Tie & Socks: Tie Bar | Boots: Aston Grey | Belt: Levi's

Oil Change

I firmly believe that everybody who owns a car should know how to change their own oil. Now whether or not you choose to or are physically able to is one thing, but again, I think it is a skill every car owner should possess.

I actually enjoy changing my own oil, there something almost cathartic about it. Getting dirty (and you will get dirty) to help my car to run better, having a chance to take a closer look at a machine that most people generally don't understand. I think to think it helps me stay more in tune with my car. Knowing what is normal on your car and what isn't can save you a lot of money.

For example, one day driving to work my check oil light turned on and off a couple times. I know that is strange, so I made a mental note to check my oil level after work. When I drove home, the same thing happened (again, strange). I popped the hood, checked the oil, and lo and behold it was almost empty. Investigating under my car I found I hadn't tightened my oil filter enough and had been dripping oil for a couple thousand miles... Now since I found it the day my car sensed something was wrong, it was only a $35 mistake and required a friend to drive me to Autozone. If I had kept driving on it I could have done some Serious damage to my engine and may have even been driving a new car by now.

Anecdote aside, here are the easy steps to changing your oil:
1) Remove your oil drain plug (the oil will drain faster if it is hot so maybe run to the auto parts store first).
2) Replace drain plug after the oil has drained, making sure the plug is wiped clean. If your car has a crush washer, you will need to replace that as well (another mistake I have made in the past...) and they're usually cheap - mine are about $5 for 3.
3) Remove the old oil filter.
4) Wipe some old oil on the new filter's gasket and screw it into place. You don't need to crank it as tight as possible, just make sure it's tight.
5) Add fresh oil until full, using the dip stick to confirm a couple times. I generally fill 4 quarts and then turn the engine on for a few seconds before checking.

I highly recommend having plenty of automotive paper towels at the ready as well as rubber gloves (which I clearly did not have with me this time). If you don't have any rubber gloves, you should probably get some hand cleaner - there are plenty of options at your local automotive store. You can actually even get oil change kits, usually for less than $30 that come with a funnel, oil catch pan,

I also take the time to change my engine air filter, cabin air filter, and check my tire pressure whenever I'm changing my oil.

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.